What's Left Of Us
by Nightwing27th
Summary: For as long as I can remember, I've been told stories of a group of people that came from the sky. How they tore through the forest and hunted us down. There's only one problem with all of those stories: I'm one of the people from the sky.
1. Chapter 2: Homecoming

Chapter 2:

For as long as I can remember, I've been told stories of a group of people that came from the sky. How they tore through the forest and hunted us down. There's only one problem with all of those stories: I'm one of the people from the sky. My father was taken by Mountain Men before I was born. And my mother died when I was five. But… okay hang on a second, I don't think died is the right word more like… murdered… by my aunt, the same aunt that took me in and raised me when she "died." That's why I left the Grounders when I was twelve and have been on my own ever since. And as I sit in this tree, thirty feet off the ground, those stories -my story- is all I can think about. And all I can see is the giant spaceship buried in the ground a hundred yards away from me.

I can hear a few faint voices, but nothing I could dream of making out. As I watch them, the people from the sky, I can't help but wonder if the stories are true. But a part of me already knows they're not. Lucky for them, they landed next to and not in the lake. And lucky for me they didn't land on my house. The first two people that emerged from the ship have been helping everyone else out. All of them have looked past me, at the giant smoke cloud that's coming up out of the mountains. I don't blame them; I want to know what it is too but first things first. I stood up on the branch and started making my way back to the Tree House, my home away from home. I was just about to leave to check my traps when the ship crashed. After passing through four trees I stepped on the porch. It's not much but the Tree House is mine and no one can take it from me again. Long story. The short one is that I stole some of my mother's things from my aunt when I left. I found a letter with my name on it and inside was a map that led me here: a thirty-by-thirty cylinder, metal, tube with three levels. My mother called it the Tree House in the letter but the blue prints for the building call it a Drop Ship. Whatever that is.

I still need to check the traps so I grab my food bag and stuff it in my back pack along with water and a med-kit. I grab my leather jacket and head for the door. My plan is to talk to the new guys before they find me; maybe we can help each other. They need to know how to survive and I want to know where I came from. I walked out on a huge limb and untied the ladder, letting it fall forty feet to the ground. Once my feet touched land I pulled on a loose string and watched as the ladder rolled back up to the limb. I turned on my heels and headed for the ship. The best way to do this is to just show myself from the start instead of sneaking up on them. The closer I got the more heads turned my way, but numbers were not going to stop me. , but numbers were not going to stop me. The first two that came out of the ship, walked to the front of the crowd; I'm sure they thought they could protect everyone else. One of me, tons of them. But for all they know I could have an army waiting at the tree line and, if it comes to it, I'll play that card. Thirty feet to go and I put my hands in the air, to make them feel safe. "I'm unarmed." A lie, but they don't know that, "and I'm alone." Now that was true. Besides, a lie followed by truth is always more believable than one or the other alone.

"Who are you?" a man, one of the two, asked. The other, a woman, had a look of caution on her face.  
"My name's not important." Because it isn't, "You're looking for the one hundred. Right?" Shock and silence filled the air so thick, you could touch it. "Okay… let me start over, if you want to survive you're gonna wanna trust me. Mainly because that smoke," I pointed behind me, "is not good news."  
"Why should we trust you?" the woman asked.  
"I'm a Grounder. I know this place better than you, I can keep you safe through the night, and I can get you food and water."  
"Keep us safe? From what?"  
"How about we save the bad things for tomorrow," I replied, "but all you need to know is that you can't trust anyone besides me and your friends."  
"And why should we trust you?" the man asked.  
"Because once upon a time my parents were up there," I pointed up, "my guess, at the same place you were at." My reaction to their reaction was… what's the word… unimpressed. They are definitely not the killers the Grounders have made them out to be. "Okay, I'm going to check my traps and bring back whatever meat they've caught while you think everything over. I'll be back." I turned around and started hearing people whisper to each other.  
"Wait." The woman's voice stopped me in my tracks. I turned around. "How old are you?"  
"Twenty." I replied.  
"And you're… out here alone?" I nodded, "Where's your family?"  
"I…" I don't know how I feel about that I've been alone for eight years, "I don't have any. At least not anymore. Unless you count my aunt, whom wants me dead" My reply shocked her. And with that I walked away.  
"What's your name?" she called. I turned around, walking backwards.  
"My names too dangerous to be said, so… I don't know, make something up."

Two hours later…

I checked all of the traps and caught two deer and a boar, a nice one too. Because it's a bigger load it took me a little longer to get back. I put the deer in the back, each at least two hundred pounds, and then tied a rope around the pig and started dragging. I was dragging the deer with one hand and the pig with the other, both weighing about the same. When I was within forty feet of the ship, the man and woman approached me and saw what I had.  
"Let me help" the man said. I handed him the rope for the boar and watched as he tried to pull it.  
"It's fine; I can take it the rest of the way. I've already drug it for two miles," he looked at me, then the pig. I saw him mouth the words "two miles" and then I kept walking. The woman followed. "What's your name?"  
"Abigail Griffin." she replied, "what's in the bag?"  
"Two deer."  
"There are deer on this planet?"  
"Yes, but I don't think they look how you remember them."  
"What do you mean?"  
"You'll see."

Later that night, after everyone got over the shock of seeing a two headed animal, I headed back to Tree House. I told them I lived near, just not where. But the next morning I could see they trusted me, a little, more than yesterday. So far so good.  
"Okay, I'll take you half way to the hundred but no more."  
"Why?" the man, named Kane, asked.  
"The Grounders want me dead." I replied, "That's why I won't tell you my name."  
"Why, what happened?" Abigail asked. I lead them through the forest, making sure they didn't step on a trap.  
"I found out my aunt killed my mom and then left. She's wanted me ever since, made sure everyone knew my name." With one mile left I figured this was good enough. "Okay, I must leave you know. If I don't see you return in two days, I'll come looking for you."  
"Thank you."  
"Just keep walking straight for another mile, you'll know you're there when you see the walls" I turned around and left without another word.

On my way back, I stumbled upon a tree with a piece of paper held to it by an arrow. After checking my surroundings, I read the note: "Alright, my dear niece, I've played this game long enough. Tonight we're taking over the camp of the people from the sky, and we'll kill all of them."  
That's what the smoke is from. And I've just sent Abigail and Kane right into the middle of it.


	2. Chapter 4: The 100

Chapter 4:

I've spent the last twenty minutes running faster than I ever have and I'm almost there. I shouldn't have left them. But then I wouldn't have found that note. It must have been there the whole time and we just walked right passed it. There's a slim chance that the hundred could've fought off the Grounders, but most likely my aunt was with them and that would change things… a lot. But I don't think the Grounders will still be there, or at least I hope not. As I approach the hundred camp, now ten feet away, the first thing I see that stands out is Kane and Abigail. And it's not them but the fact that they're just standing there, with their backs to me. I walk into the camp and stand next to Kane. They haven't noticed me yet.

"Wow," the word leaves my mouth in a whisper. I've never been in the camp, but I've watched them from afar. The "drop ship", as I've heard many of them call it, sits near the back of the camp. Like always, the door is open. But that's not what we're staring at. More like the ash and charred bodies that surround the drop ship. "And I thought I had a bad day." Kane jumps and looks at me as Abigail sinks to her knees, probably imagining the worst.

"I thought you went back," he says, glaring at me.

"I did." I gave him the note I found and then crouched down by Abigail. Her eyes locked straight ahead as they fill with tears. I glance around and try to get my bearings. Thinking of all the ways this could've happened, I notice a can lying on the ground. The closer I get the more sure I am that I know what it is. I pick it up to examine it and find Mount Weather written on the bottom. "Don't worry, Abigail. They're not dead." Her eyes locked on me after a few seconds. She slowly realized what I said and snapped out of it.

"What?" Kane helped her to her feet and then handed her the letter.

"Here's what I think happened: the Grounders attacked the camp, they fought back and somehow burned a whole lot of them." I started tossing the can in my hands. Abigail read the letter and looked up at me, "But how do you know they're alive?"

"There are four of these cans lying around the camp. Meaning that the Mountain Men showed up," I replied. "And they wouldn't have shown up in the middle of an empty camp"

"Mountain Men?" Kane asked. But I'm too busy listening to the woods to reply. Ever since I got here I've felt like I'm being watched. And now I know I am. I hold a finger up to my lips and pull out my knife. They didn't look too concerned until they saw the knife. If anything, at least these people have common sense and know when to be quiet. I waved my hand in the air, telling them to follow me as I walked the perimeter. I hear the rustling of bushes and the occasional snapping of a twig in the distance. "They can't be more than thirty yards away."

"Who?" Abigail asked, as they followed me. I turned around and replied in a hushed tone, "You need to run out of the gate and then keep running in the direction you think we came from. Run until you're over five miles away and try to get back to the crash site," I gave them each a knife from my boots. "I'll find you as soon as I can."

"Where are you going?" Kane asked as he glanced at the knife I gave him like it was poison.

"I'm going to get them off your trail." The looks on their faces told me they weren't going without me, "Oh, you're going. Don't worry about me. I'll take out one Mt. man, take his weapon and then take out the rest. Now go!" I pushed them foreword, toward the entrance to the camp. I pushed them toward the left and I ran right, in the direction of the sound. I climbed up the first available tree I came to and then looked behind me. Kane and Abigail ran like I told them too. Good. Now I only have to worry about myself. Last time I faced Mountain Men, I barely escaped with my life. They are a whole lot more deadly than the Grounders ever could be. One reason is that Mountain Men have these things called "Guns". And they hurt. But most of all, I know how to use one.

I climbed across five trees and then I saw one; a man dressed from head to toe, wearing a mask that stuck out from his face, and of course a gun. He doesn't look so big, ten feet off the ground. I positioned myself so I was right above him and then let go. I landed on top of him, hugging his back with my left arm wrapped around his neck. I brought my right hand with a knife in it up to his neck and… well, you know the rest. He fell to the ground dead. I stood and then took his gun from him. Putting the strap around my shoulder, I glanced around. I took what bullets the man had and then kept running. Two more men appeared ahead of me and I killed them with the gun before they even saw me. I forgot how strong it made you feel to even hold a gun. Three more dropped just like the first two and then a twig snapped behind me. I turned around just in time to see the bottom of a gun headed for my face. I ducked as I slammed the bottom of my gun into the man's gut. As he fell, I took his gun and threw it into the woods. I know, it was stupid but I don't have any free hands right now.

But this man was different from the other men. He's wearing an official Mt. Weather uniform, meaning he's someone important. But it wasn't until I saw his face that I knew who he was. I have in front of me none other than the leader of the Mountain Men. But he's the last thing I see before it all goes black.


	3. Chapter 6: Mountain Men

Chapter 6:

A bright light blinds me threw my eye lids. I'm not inside Mt. Weather. Or at least I think so, based on the jagged sharp things stabbing me in the back. But then again, this isn't the first time Mountain Men have drug me behind them as they walked. The real question is: will they live to tell about it? Or will I? That's a scary thought. Okay, enough thinking. I open my eyes and see trees with the sun light rustling their leaves. My hands are tied and so are my ankles. You see, last time they were dragging me by my hands and that didn't work out. So they think they are being smart by dragging me by my feet. No one's looked at me in the last twenty minutes, so they think I'm still out of it. Or maybe it was ten. I don't know, the pain in the back of my head is making it hard to think. As they dragged me along, I sat up quickly and pulled on the rope tied to my feet. The two men pulling me were yanked back and then swept off their feet and hit the ground. The rope around my feet slid off as soon as they let go off it. After taking their knives, I cut the rope that bound my hands. Tree bark flew into my face as a loud bang echoed in the trees.  
To dodge the flying bark, I rolled away from the tree and found out the hard way that I'm on a hill. I tumbled down the hill first on my side and then head over heels, until a fallen tree broke my fall. Slamming into it chest first took all of the air from my lungs. First my head, now my ribs. Wonderful. Shouts echoed from behind me and I switched into survival mode. Ignoring any and all pain I rolled under the fallen tree, into a gap the tree didn't fill. Once on the other side I turned around just in time to watch an arrow dig into the tree, inches from my face. I need to run but I still can't breathe right. So I have to wait for them to find me or for-

"This is getting a little old, don't you think?" A man's voice, one I know all too well, yelled aimlessly into the woods. "Been running all your life. Don't you think it's time to think about surrendering?" No thank you. Surrendering is not an option; I have risked too much to give up now. Oh, and the man that wants to kill me is General Daniel Jacobsen. He's also the leader of the Mountain Men. And the man that took my father. But I don't have time to tell that tale.

"Yeah, I'll surrender when I'm dead." I know I just gave up my hiding spot but maybe that's a good thing. Two bullets shot threw the tree just to the left of me. "I know why the Grounders want me dead, but why you?"

"I don't want you dead, I want you caught." Didn't see that coming. "You've just made things harder than it should be." So that's his justification for using guns. Makes sense to me. I quickly stand up and look at him. His gun quickly aims at me, but doesn't fire. "There you are"

"Why do you want me?" my voice deeper than I thought it would be. I mean come on; this guy has got to have a good reason.

"Recently, we have acquired the leader of a group of Grounders. You might know her; her name is Anya" He smiles, after a few seconds, as he realizes that I'm swearing in my head. "I thought you might. You see, she was very very willing to tell us anything about you, but not anything else."

"So you know my favorite color. Big deal." Sarcasm comes way too easy for me.

"You don't get it," he lowered his gun, "I'm your father" What? That's not possible. "I wasn't captured by Mountain Men, I joined them willingly." That's not true, it can't be true.

"Even if I believed you, I'd never go with you" I ran to the left as fast as I could, dodging my "father's" bullets. Some dad. I get ten feet away before I stop behind a tree. I look around the tree and see that he's reloading so I take off again. As soon as the bullet shower starts up again, I stop. Then I hear more bullets, meaning that there are more men trying to shoot me. This is going on longer than it should. I jump out from around the tree just long enough the through my knife at Jacobsen. It sticks in his shoulder just as a bullet goes through my upper arm. I sink to the ground clutching my arm as the bullets stop. I peek around the corner and see one man walking toward me as the others take Jacobsen away. I press my back against the tree and slow my breathing down. I hear him getting closer and closer, until the tip of the gun is poking around the tree. I swung around the tree, low and fast, causing my fist to hit the man between his legs. That gun can protect him from everything but my fist. I take his gun and strike him over the head with it. I check to make sure no one's looking and then search his pockets. All I find is a few bullets reloads and two round, metal, balls that fit in the palm of my hand. I don't know what they're called, but I've seen what happens when you remove the small stick at the top. These will come in handy. I put those in my pockets and then take his vest and put it on. I'm not taking it for its looks; this thing can stop a bullet. Which reminds me about the one that passed through my arm; the whole now gushing with blood, from both sides. I stand as I glance around the tree. Then I run in the opposite direction, ignoring the pain from my head, ribs, and arm. Where I'm running too, I have no idea. I don't even know where I am; who knows how long I was out for.  
I run for a few miles before my body makes me stop. I sit down beside a water fall and quickly give in to the water. I slowly slide into the small pool that forms at the base of the water fall. There is nothing like the feeling of water flowing through your arm. I float in the water for an hour, until the sun starts to set. Then I pull myself out and collapse on the rocks. I know what I should be doing: finding shelter, starting a fire, stopping the bleeding from my arm. But the need to sleep is too strong to fight off.

Five hours later…

I awake to see the brilliant glow of a butterfly, a few feet away. I try to move but quickly learn that's a mistake, as pain engulfs my body. Rolling over onto my back, I realize that I'm completely out in the open. And it's the middle of the night. The bleeding in my arm has stopped, but the puddle of blood I leave behind is not small. I stand up and then grab the gun. After stumbling a few times, I finally catch my balance and then start walking. The hours pass by as the sun begins to rise. I'm about to give up, knowing that I can't climb a tree like this, but instead I see a cave up ahead. I kind of know where I am now, but I don't know what's in that cave. Right now it's my only option. I approach the cave, but stop when I hear voices. I raise my gun and then continue cautiously. After walking through a dark tunnel, I see a light. The closer I get, the smaller the voices get until they just stop altogether. I'm half way through a doorway when something pulls on my gun. I instinctively pull the trigger, letting a bullet loose in the cave. I'm yanked forward again and this time the gun is removed from my hands and thrown across the floor. Someone grabs my collar and slams me against the wall. My eyes open to find that I'm pinned to the wall by a girl with short blackish hair. I brought my knee up into her chest and she doubled over as I slammed my left fist in to the back of her neck. Surprisingly she regained her balance very quickly and stood up before I could blink. Before I knew it her fist was in my jaw and mine in hers. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a man approach and pull us apart.

"Jade, enough!" he said as he pulled the girl back. It takes me a minute before I realize that I know who he is: Lincoln. Thank goodness, I found someone I know. This is weird. I never expected to see him again let alone show up on his door step injured. Thankfully he called off his attack dog. She finally stopped squirming and he let her go. I couldn't tell if he was shocked or concerned. "What are you doing here?" Lincoln asked me. But before I could answer Abigail stepped out from behind Lincoln and hugged me. The amount of shock on my face made Lincoln smile a bit.

"I wasn't expecting that" I said as she pulled away.

"How did you get away?" she asked.

"We can talk later, right now we have a bigger problem," some guy with a girlish haircut said, "Bellamy's been shot" I could feel Jade glaring at me as I looked around her. The boy, Bellamy, was lying on the floor propped up in the guy with the girlish haircut's arms with blood spilling out of his abdomen.

"You should've let me kill her" Jade said to Lincoln, while her eyes hit me like daggers. I would've defended myself but I don't have the energy for this. I tell Abigail to help Bellamy and then slide down to the ground.


	4. Chapter 8: Day Trip

Chapter 8:

Finally! I said something that shut her up! My last comment left everyone speechless. Jade glanced at Lincoln then Finn, with a satisfied look on her face. And then just as fast as she pulled out her knife and lunged at me, Lincoln, Finn, and even Kane had to help hold her back. After a few seconds of her still trying to get to me, they dragged her out of the cave, kicking and screaming. Good riddance. Abigail and Octavia were more stunned than speechless. "Wow." Octavia continued to stare at the dark opening to the cave.

"She's crazy." I agreed.

"No," she looked at me, "your dad is-"

"I thought you said you had no family." Abigail interrupted her.

"That's what I thought too. But the man told me that a few minutes before he shot me." Some father. How could he not know about me? I thought my aunt would've told him. Seems like every day I'm reminded about how lovely my… whatever I have, is. "But then again, I did stab him first." Abigail smiled. I must remind her of the daughter she told me about on the way to the hundred camp. She seems to be the only one, besides Lincoln, willing to trust me. And she hugged me! Why would she hug a stranger? She doesn't even know my name! Do I even look like her daughter? Maybe I do. Maybe that's why. Octavia limped over to me and sat down. Her eyes were blinding me. "So why did Lincoln try to kill you?" She has to ask the only question that catches me off guard and that I don't have an answer for.

"Well… like I said, the Grounders want me dead. And when he was with them, they sent him and a few others after me." My tone is as if I was talking to a child. For me this, him, is awkward. I don't know how to explain it. "And…?" she pokes.

"And what?"

"Well, you're still alive. Tell me how" Okay, saying no to her is like punishing a child for doing something good: it's just wrong on so many levels. But not impossible. I was about to speak but was cut off by yelling coming from outside of the cave. Jade's lovely voice. Kane and Finn came back inside a moment later. "What is going on out there?"

"'It's complicated'" Finn replied as he held two fingers in the air, on each hand, and slowly moved them up and down. Since everyone seems to know what it means, I decide to forget about it and move on. But that's always the spot where something else creeps in. My whole life, every time I've tried to move on from something everything but moving on happens. Like how Lincoln and I met, for example; I was trying to move on from the Grounders and start a new life when Anya had to go and send Lincoln after me. He and three other guys tried to kill me. A moment later, Lincoln entered the cave. Alone. He looked right at me and then approached. Octavia got up and left, leaving me to fend for myself. He crouched down in front of me and then looked over my wounds. "Are you fine to travel?" Not the question I was expecting.

"I've had much worse." He didn't seem satisfied. "Yes, why?"

"You once told me you'd been gathering weapons. Do you have a stash hidden somewhere?"

"Yeah, about five miles from here."

"Good," I could tell I wasn't going to like this next part, "You and Jade leave in an hour." What? Me and her, together, alone. No, no, no, no, no. But before I could protest, he started talking again, "I've already spoken to her about this," That explains the yelling. "Now I want you to make peace with her, while you're gone. If we're going to Mt. Weather I want you two on the same side. It's not going to do us any good if you kill each other first." His point was too big to be argued with, so I kept my mouth shut.

An hour later, we headed out just as planned. Lincoln turned down anyone that offered to go with us because "they need to do this on their own." How am I supposed to get her to not want to kill me? The entire walk there was quiet. No one dared to say anything. Besides the fact that Jade was still smoldering from her fight with Lincoln, I'd say it was a pretty good walk. So I walked up to my tree, the one that holds my home, and stopped.

"So, where is it?" Jade was still mad. Great. I pointed up. She looked up and didn't see what I saw. As she began to open her big mouth, I reached up and pulled on a rope causing a ladder to unroll and gently touch the ground. Whatever she was going to say, she didn't say it. I didn't even look at her before I began climbing. I painfully reached the top and stood up straight, on the limb. Jade came up a minute later, eyes big as she saw my tree house. I walked inside and then sat down with my back against a wall. The lack of sleep and blood loss was finally starting to get to me. "Where are the weapons?" Jade walked in without me noticing.

"Wouldn't you like to know," I love making her mad. But her icy glare reminds me why I'm here. "We need to work things out first." She crossed her arms and squared her shoulders. "Okay, so work it out." Lincoln has no idea what he's asking of me. "Okay, fine," I start, "let's start with your jealous side."

"What are you talking about?" She seriously has no idea.

"You being jealous of whatever it is you think Lincoln and I have," I replied as seriously as I could. She sits down two feet away from me, crossing her legs. She sighs, "Because I'm used to having Lincoln all to myself. I've never had to 'share' him with anyone." That was easier than I thought. "Now, let's start with your emotional constipation."

"My what?" I have no idea what she's talking about.

"Lack of emotion." she explains. Why didn't she just say that?

"Well I've been living alone for the past eight years."

"Why?"

"Because I don't have any one I can trust to not kill me in my sleep."

"Don't you have family?"

"No."

"Well, that makes two of us." She replied. I looked around the room and thought about what my father looked like. I guess I can see the resemblance but I'm still not willing to trust he's telling the truth. "My parents are Reapers."

"And mine came from the sky." I replied.

"Maybe I don't hate you." I could tell she was trying to convince herself of that as she said it.

"Well, what's not to hate?" I spoke in a very sarcastic tone. Jade resisted the urge to chuckle. "I mean come on, I live in a ship, in a tree." She does chuckle after that.

"Okay, well we should probably be heading back," Jade suggested. She stood up first and then reached a hand down. I grabbed it and she pulled me to my feet. I walked over to a metal ladder in the middle of the room and climbed it, passing through the second floor and up to the third. But before that, I had to turn the wheel on the door. After a few tries with one arm, I finally got it. And then we were on the third floor. Jade climbed up behind me, shock covered her face. The room was only five feet by five feet with a triangle roof and tilted walls. But that wasn't the best part. Guns of all shapes and sizes covered every inch of the walls, along with trunks overflowing with different weapons on the floor. The smell of metal and gun powder filled the room.

"I thought you had just a few…" Jade gasped at the amount of weapons.

"So did Lincoln," I replied, "I've got enough for an army."

"How?"

"I'm a thief. One of my better qualities." We spent just under an hour getting ready to go; first we picked out the weapons we wanted, then Jade stood on the first floor catching weapons as I dropped them from the third, then we repeated step two outside, then once everything was on the ground we put them on tarps. But before I climbed down the latter to leave, I walked over to the side of Tree House and popped a metal panel off the side. I crossed a few wires and then the door, or my porch, started standing up until it was flesh with the rest of the structure. I put the panel back on and then climbed down. Jade slung a sack full of those metal balls over her shoulder and then we each grabbed a corner of the tarp. Thankfully the road back isn't all that bumpy. We were quite, but at least this time it was a content quiet. But I couldn't stop my mind from wondering. It wondered so far away, it ended up in the past.

(Flashback: Narrator's POV)

_She ran through the woods tripping and stumbling. After each time she had to catch her balance, she reminded herself why she was running: her aunt, Anya, was trying to kill her. At least four armed soldiers chased her. One of which was the best worrier they'd had in a long time. And she knew with him leading, it wouldn't be long before they found her. But Yachara was smarter than that; she had to be. She ran toward Mt. Weather as she listened to the men follow her. She almost didn't stop in time at the edge of a river separating her from her destination. Knowing what lies in it she jumped in away. As she pulled herself up on to the rocks, she glanced over her shoulder and saw the men stop at the edge. She locked eyes with the leader, Lincoln, as she wondered why he's doing this. But the look in his eyes told her why. Yachara got to her feet and kept running. Last week she'd heard a rumor about a secret entrance to Mt. Weather. After a few frantic moments of searching, she found it. The entrance was a crack in the mountain, just barely big enough for her twelve year old body to squeeze through. When she got inside, she discovered that she was in the dungeon. And after checking all of them, only one cell had someone in it: a young girl about her age. She looked like she'd been knocked around but, lying in a cell unconscious, made Yachara feel sorry for her. She pulled some wire out of her pocket and used it to open the cell, just like Lincoln taught her. The closer Yachara got the more she realized that the girl was Lincoln's. But Yachara picked her up and carried her out of the mountain, just as she heard voices approaching._

_The next day, the girl still asleep, Yachara carried her to a waterfall and laid her next to it. This is the only place she knew of that the girl would be found. She also knew she's being watched. Yachara ran as fast she could. She was passing through a field when she heard Lincoln call for her. Stopping in her tracks, she turned around and pulled out a knife. "Don't do it, Lincoln." _

"_I have orders to bring you back dead or alive," he replied, "just come with me."_

"_No, thank you. I'll take my chances out here." Yachara's grip on the knife tightened. Lincoln held up a bow with any arrow read to fly. A tear fell down her cheek. "Go ahead; I'd rather be dead than with them. But before you do, you should know that Jade is waiting for you at the water fall."_

"_Why would you help her, even after I've tried to kill you?"_

"_Because I'm not like you, Lincoln. Family, blood or not, is more important to me. Even if it's yours." She continued to stare at him, but something caught her attention: a Reaper hid in the bushes a few feet away from Lincoln, spear in hand. Yachara through her knife at the Reaper, as Lincoln, thinking she was aiming for him, let go of the string. His arrow flew through her shoulder. Then Lincoln heard the bushes move as her knife killed the Reaper. Yachara rose to her feet again and saw Lincoln coming toward her. "No, stay back," she slipped off her jacket and then laid it on the floor, "take this to Anya tell her you tried and she will spare you, help me and she won't."_

"_I…"_

"_Don't. Go back, Lincoln. Save yourself and raise Jade, because without you she'd be lost." Yachara backed away and then turned and ran._


	5. Chapter 10: Side Effects May Vary

Chapter 10:

Something's not right. Why did I let Bellamy's words get to me like that? I can't explain it. I feel like the scared little girl I was when escaping from the Grounders. My protective wall is down and I don't know why. I walked ten feet away from the cave and leaned against it. "Wait, don't go anywhere," Jade called to me as she jogged to my side, "That's not… it was the…" She was franticly trying to get the words out.

"Okay calm down." I told her, "What are you trying to say?"

"The leaves you two took have a side effect that both of you are experiencing," she explained, "It reveals your strongest trait. And Bellamy… well, you know." The leaves. Of course it was the leaves. I know I've never taken them before and I doubt that Bellamy has. "How long does it last?"

"About four hours… it depends on the individual," she said that last part as if she expected me to hit her. But I didn't and instead shied away from her, before I could stop myself. I'm sure she already guessed that I'm not the tough girl I want everyone to think I am, but if she hasn't then she knows now. "Did you just…? Are you afraid of me?"

"Yes, no. No, no I'm not" she gave me a weird look, "Okay, I'm leaving. And when this blows over I'll be back." I need to go sit a couple hundred feet of the ground and try to shake this off. I started to walk away and then turned back, "And I'm not ever even looking at those leaves again."

"Okay, wait." Jade ran up ahead of me and stopped me in my tracks, "If you're afraid of **me**, then someone needs to go with you-"

"I'll be fine, Jade." I stepped around her and then yelled, "I'll know if you're following me, so don't even try." Leaving with an injury and while experiencing side effects from some pain killer, might be stupid for anyone else except me. Besides, I already knew that fear was my most dominate trait; if I put it away once on my own, then I can do it again. But the question remains: where do I go from here? I used to go to the hundred camp, whenever I needed to get away. And right now climbing a tree isn't really a good idea, but I keep walking anyway until I think I'm far away enough. Then I sit down at the base of a tree, leaning my back against it. I'm not planning on being gone more than a few hours, so this should be fine. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breathes as I tried to calm down. I only opened my eyes because of the sharp stabbing pain in my arm. This means the drug has probably worn off, which is both good and bad. It also means I fell asleep out in the open where anyone could've found me. Thankfully no one did… or have I spoken too soon? I feel eyes on me and I don't think its Jade coming to check up on me. Next thing I know, a small canister is rolling toward me. As it stops it begins to release a red colored gas. I quickly got to my feet and started running. The Mountain Men have found me. How on all of earth did they find me? But as I'm running, I'm only thinking about how to get away without getting shot again. Just as trees are being chipped all around me, I realize that's a big possibility. I also realize that I really have no idea where I am. I run until I can't anymore, until a river blocks my only escape route.

So far, the only good thing about this is that this river doesn't have those water snakes in it. Something slams into my back and enters the water with me. I feel hands on my shoulders, pushing me under. The freezing cold water mixed with the adrenaline pumping through my veins, is making it a lot easier for me to fight back. I clamped my hands around his wrists on my shoulders and then pulled my legs up around his head. I squeezed his head with my legs as I pulled him over my head, hearing a crack as I did so. He floated down to the bottom as I swam to the top. I came up gasping for air and spitting out water. All of this action has caused my wound to reopen, reminding me to take it easy on that arm. I reached the rocky shore as two boots stood in front of me. Before I can see who it is, something grabs my collar and pulls me to my feet. Then the man puts his hand around my throat and slams my back against a boulder. He holds me in place, smiling. I can tell he's the kind of person that would enjoy feeling the life of his victims disappear; and to be honest, he doesn't even need to use his whole hand. For this guy, two fingers would suffice. I hear another man yell something and then this guy lets me go. I fall to my knees, coughing the whole time as I try to re inflate my crushed wind pipe. I stay there, on my hands and knees, coughing as I listen to the man that held me getting yelled at. Something about how they were supposed to trank not kill me. The coughing stops and my breaths even, as I slowly lean against the rock. Now sitting, I finally have a chance to take in my surroundings. There are a total of eight men surrounding me; four with their guns pointed at me, the man who strangled me is still being yelled at by my dad, and the other two men are hanging around my dad probably waiting to see how things play out. Except they're not men, but boys who look about sixteen. I wonder if they were ready for battle at eight, like I was. The yelling stopped and then General Jacobsen walked over to me, standing a few feet away.

"Sorry about that," he said, "I can guarantee it won't happen again." He reached his hand down, expecting me to grab it.

"So, we're friends now?" It was all I could get out before I started coughing again. He took his hand back as he gave me a sympathetic look. "You know, I would've looked for you sooner had I known you were alive."

"Is that a statement or a question?" I glared at him, "And how is getting an army to hunt me down and bring me to you by force qualified as looking for me?" His eyes never left mine.

"Had I known-"

"Save it. How much did Anya tell you, anyway?" He crouched down in front of me. His men looked at me more cautiously now. "Enough."

"So, she didn't tell you that she killed my mom? I'm not surprised that Anya left that part out." He looked a little shocked. "I know, right? So why is it that you want me, anyway?"

"Because, Yachara, you're my daughter-" Before he could finish, the man who strangled me, pushed Jacobsen out of the way and then held up his gun and fired at me.


	6. Chapter 12: Calypso

Chapter 12:

Do I dare open my eyes? I'm lying on a bed, a real bed made with stuffing, and I'm under the covers; I know that much. I can't remember much about what happened or how I got here, where ever here is. But I know I was shot, that much I do remember. So why aren't I in any pain? Before I open my eyes, I listen to my surroundings: the wind blowing, goats, bells, and the occasional chicken. But there is one sound I can't make out, and it's followed by a horn. I finally open my to find anything but what I expected. I'm in some kind of bamboo house; every part of it is made with the stuff. This is not what I expected at all. I pull back the covers to find that I am in different clothes, ones much nicer than I've ever seen; jeans and a dark purple t-shirt. I pull up my shirt and reveal a large bandage that covers my entire stomach. I grabbed a corner of the bandage and pulled it back. I expect to see a stitched bullet wound. Instead I see two, light pink, one-inch circles. So I was shot twice… I think. I touch one of the circles and it is much softer than the rest of my skin. Whatever they did, it healed my wounds ten times faster than normal. I push down on the new skin and feel a slight twinge of pain in my gut. I ripped the rest of the bandage of and then stood up. The door to my room was open, but I didn't notice until I saw someone walk by. My stomach aches a little but it's nothing like- my hand quickly flew to my arm. It's wrapped where the bullet hole was, so I tore the bandage off. It's just like my stomach, on both sides of my arm. What did they do to me?

"Good," I jumped out of my skin and whipped my head in the direction of the sound, "you're up. Saves me the trouble." A man in his mid-forty's walks into the room, as he takes a drink out of his cup. He walks over to a desk, on the other side of the room, and pulls open the top drawer. "Sorry, if I scared you. I usually make more noise than that." I just stared at him, speechless. He is barefoot, wearing shorts, a thin white tank top, and has a beard that touches his belly button. This can't possibly be the guy that fixed me up. When I didn't say anything he looked at me and then back to the drawer. He reached his hand into it and pulled out a hand gun. Before I could say anything, he tossed it onto the bed. "That one's yours," he walked to the door and reached outside, behind the doorframe, and brought into view a much larger gun; a gun I know causes a lot more damage. "This one's mine."

"What is this place?" I asked.

"Don't worry, you're safe. Which is why you're here." Dude, that's not what I asked. "Quit avoiding the question," I bald my hands into fists and shoved them into the bed, "tell me who you are and what's going on before I make you wish you'd never given me that gun." The man smiled.

"My name is Jeff, I'm a friend of your fathers." He, finally, replied. "Danny sent you here, his house, to recover from your injuries. But a prisoner tried to escape from the mountain, so he asked me to watch you while he took care of that."

"We're not in Mt. Weather?"

"You're a smart kid. No, we're not. Follow me," Jeff laid his gun on the bed and then walked out of the room. I followed him down a long hallway and then down a flight of stairs. Every part of the house, so far, is made of wood, vines, bamboo, leaves. And the down stairs floor is made of rocks that have been carefully placed. He opened the front door and walked outside, allowing the sun to beat through the door frame. I carefully stepped out behind him, my bare feet touching hot dirt. I put my hand up to block out the sun and then look around at my surroundings. Directly across from me is a house that looks exactly like the one at my back, with another one just like it on each side. I count twenty houses on one side of the small dirt road that separates me from them. Twenty houses? That can't be right. I turned to Jeff. "What is this place?"

"Welcome to Calypso, the wonderful city behind Mt. Weather." Jeff grinned at the shock on my face. "Population: twenty thousand." Thousand? There are twenty thousand people living **behind** Mt. Weather? "Come on, Yachara, I'll tell you about it inside." We went back inside and then walked over to a really tall table Jeff called a "bar". "So if you know who I am, then why haven't you tried to kill me yet?" I was dying to ask him this.

"Even though we didn't know who you were until a few days ago, you're still human. It doesn't matter what you've done, we're not going to kill you." He poured himself a drink, "Besides, Yachara Crystal is too pretty of a name to go unsaid. Have a seat. This is going to take awhile to explain." Oh, and it did. Three hours, to be exact. After we were done, I went back to my room and sat on the corner of the bed. According to Jeff, this city was formed fifteen years ago. Twenty-five years ago, a ship – my tree house – fell from the sky and crashed by the lake. And at the time, a Grounder camp was parked there. Out of the thirty that landed on Earth, only fifteen people escaped the Grounders with their lives. Then they spent the next couple of years running from the Grounders, until only five were left. Those five were my parents, Annabelle (mom's sister), and a young married couple whose names were John and Dakota Riley. Turns out my dad lead them from the start, and after years of running he wanted to turn himself in to the Mountain Men. But my mother, Mia Crystal, thought it was a bad idea and therefore didn't want to. So Jacobsen took matters into his own hands, leaving my mom to go join the Mountain Men. Apparently he looked for Mia a few years later, but of course, never found her. And mainly because she was already dead, at that point. A year before Jacobsen left, Annabelle had also had enough, but she went to the Grounders. She changed her name to Anya and hid her history from everyone. Then two years later, not a weak after I was born, Anya took me and left my dead mother behind. She didn't need the Grounders to take me; the Riley's had left, dad was "missing". So it was just Mia against Anya. And we all know who won.  
But I think that's enough of memory lane for right now. Jeff also told me what had healed me; this stuff called MHP, or Magic Healing Potion. It's extracted from the Blue Glowflys (they used to be known as butterflies). Apparently it can heal almost any injury. But only the rich can afford it. That just really makes me love this city… which is why I need a plan to escape. I could probably just walk right out the front door, except I have no idea where to go. But back at the cave my plan was to turn myself in, and here I am - right where I should be. But the others probably don't think this is a good thing. And if they're the idiots I think they are – which, let's face it – then they are planning some kind of attack on Mt. Weather, that involves them getting killed. I need to do something. A knock on my open door, echoes through the room. My eyes dart in the direction of the sound. Standing in the door way is one of the boys I saw with Jacobsen. Except now he's dressed as a normal person and not a soldier. "Did I scare you?"

"No… I just… who are you?" My words made him smile slightly.

"My name is Alexander," he replied, "I'm General Jacobsen's son."


	7. Chapter 14: Exploring Calypso

Chapter 14:

Alexander and Adonis, the two half brothers I didn't know I had. So far, I've only met Alex. Unless you can count watching Adonis walk upstairs to his room with a girl on each arm, while his eyes never even glance in my direction, meeting him… then, yeah I've met him. Nice guy. Anyway, Alex and I have been down stairs taking for the last hour. We finally have a good system going; I ask him a question and he answers, he asks me one and I tell him as little as possible. He loves me right now. On some questions my reply makes him want to strangle me. I don't know why it makes me feel so good when I annoy people like that. Though I have to give him credit; he really wants to get to know me. And not me from the wanted posters, but the person behind all of that. Even though I want to believe him, I still have my guard up. As he's telling me about something I started tuning out a while ago, I can help but stare into his eyes. He might act happy to see his long lost sister, but his eyes are telling me a different story; and it's a very sad one. Someone this young shouldn't be that sad. Alex told me that things haven't been the same since his mom died, a couple years back. So maybe that's it. Each one is dealing with their loss in different ways; dad buried himself in his work, Adonis distracted himself with alcohol and women, both at the same time leaving Alex to fend for himself.

"Yachara," I'm so busy thinking, I don't even hear him. "Yachara…?" He waves a hand in front of my face. He grins when he sees I've snapped out of it. "Apparently I've bored you long enough with my stories, why don't you tell me a few of yours?"

"I'm sure I don't have anything to say that Jacobsen hasn't already told you," I told him.

"Actually he hasn't told us anything."

"So, why'd you come with him to get me?"

"Because, Adonis and I are Mountain Men. Dad made finding you top priority."

"Let me guess, he didn't even mention we're family?"

"No, he didn't," he replied, "None of the men knew." Well, that explains the welcoming party. I've had enough talking for one day. "Let's get out of here."

"What do you mean?" he asked as he ran his hand through his hair. Both boys have blonde hair where as mine is jet black.

"I mean, I want to go explore the city." I held out my hand, "Come on." He looked at my hand, then me, and back again. Why was this making him think so hard? It's simple, yes or no. I finally shrugged my shoulders and then headed for the door. I slipped on my old pair of boots as I opened the door, just enough for me to slip out. Then I felt something pull the door out of my hands. I looked over my shoulder and saw Alex with his hand on the door. "Not for very long."

"Last I knew, you weren't my parent." I saw him smile out of the corner of my eye as I walked past him. It didn't take long for him to reach my side. We walked down the middle of the road, passing house after house. I memorized every turn we made, just in case I need to escape. People walked up and down the streets or stood outside their houses. Once they realized they'd never seen me before, people started starring and pointing. I don't care what they think, but apparently Alex does. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders, quickening his pace as he guided me around to the side of a house, at the end of the road. "What are you doing?" I asked. He looked in every direction with a frantic look on his face. "Alex, what are you afraid of?"

"We should head back." I could feel his heart racing through his hand as it rests on my arm.

"Then go ahead. I'm not done looking around yet. We're only a hundred yards away from the house." I walked away expecting him to catch up, but he didn't. So I kept walking, making sure to resist the urge to look back. I rounded the first corner I came to and discovered another row of buildings. But this one was different. In front of each building was a stand or tent. Which means this is the street with all of the markets Alex told me about. I spent the next hour walking up and down the street, looking at everything everyone was selling. And while I'm doing this someone's following me. But I'm not too concerned because I know it's Alex. I've caught glimpses of him out of the corner of my eye. I still don't know what his probable is. But I lose my train of thought when I see someone else I know. But that's not the creepy part. I know him because I've seen him inside the hundred camp. He looks about sixteen, dark hair, and about three inches taller than me. He's standing a few stands down talking to some people. Back in the day – you know, a week ago – I'd spy on the hundred, and I know for a fact that that boy was with them in the camp. I slowly inch myself up the row until I'm a stand away from him. Once he's done talking and the people have left, I make my move. I tapped him on the shoulder. As he turned around I said, "I know what you spent the last few weeks doing and if you'd like it to stay quiet, I'd suggest coming with me." His face went blank, losing all color. He slightly nodded, so I grabbed his wrist and pulled him into the closest ally. Once we were out of sight, I grabbed his collar and slammed him against the wall. He's twice my size and could easily over take me, yet he lets me hold him against the wall.

"What is this about?" he asked, "Jacobsen said I'd never be bother with the hundred again." Why does everything come back to him? I guess he's the most feared person in town.

"I'm not Jacobsen, nor do I work for him."

"Then what do you want?"

"I want answers." I tightened my grip, "What were you doing in their camp?"

"I'm not telling you anything." He seems afraid of me but he's not trying to get away. "Jacobsen doesn't know I'm here and he never will. So spill." I told him. "Why did he choose you to go in to the camp?"

"My name is Caleb Riley, and my parents were on the first drop ship." He replied. "Now tell me who you are and why you're here, or I won't say another word." Riley. That helps a lot, and this time I mean it. But I can't just go ask my dad to spill all of his secrets so this guy's my only shot.

"Yachara Crystal." I replied, "The hundred was taken by Mountain Men and I need to know why."

"Like all of them?" I nodded. "That's not good."

"Why?" He looked down at my hands still clutching his collar. One by one I removed my fingers from his shirt. "Sorry." After he put his shirt back where it goes, he began talking.

"Once it was discovered how many fell from the sky, Jacobsen knew exactly why they were here. Whatever that reason was, he didn't like it. So, he sent some people to come and get me, bring me in. He told me all I had to do was blend in with them and learn as much as I could. So I did. I thought what I was doing was harmless, until a week ago." Caleb glanced down the ally and then lowered his voice. "When I went to the mountain to check in, I heard a rumor was spreading that Jacobsen wanted to brainwash the hundred and use them as his personal army. I didn't want to take any chances, so I backed out."

"Why would he let you leave, knowing so much?"

"Our families were friends. And he promised my parents he'd watch after me if something happened to them."

"So what does brainwash mean?" I asked. He gave me a dumbfounded look right before something else stole his attention. "Let me guess," He said, "There are people looking for you?"

"How many?" I asked as I kept my gaze on him. I saw his eyes look down the ally to my left, where we came in at. "A few." His eyes locked with mine again. "I don't think running is an option, right now."

"Then what is?" I could see his gears turning. How are we going to get out of this? I'm going to be in big trouble if my dad's men find me. And if the find me with Caleb, it'll be bad for both of us. "They're getting closer."

"I know." Was all he said. They're only six feet away now. Caleb put his hands on my hips and pulled me in to him until we were touching. He saw the look on my face and smiled. "I'm going to kiss you now." He whispered as he leaned down. His hands came up and cupped my face as his got closer. Our lips made contact and the rest of the world just disappeared. I can't hear or feel anything but him. All of my thoughts about getting caught go right out the window. The kiss lasts for what feel like forever. And I don't want it to stop but I know it has to. As if on cue, we pull apart at the same time. But we don't separate. We stay there, hovering a couple inches away from each other. I open my eyes and then mine meet his. "They're gone," Caleb whispered. We slowly separate, still not sure of what just happened, and I take a step back. "Sorry, about that. It was all I could think of."

"No, it was a… good idea," I replied, "Anyway, thanks for that. And I need to go find a way out of the city." I shook his hand and then turned down the ally. Caleb ran up beside me and started walking.

"You're not from around here are you?"

"No."

"Okay, follow me." He grabbed my hand and started leading the way. After an hour of walking around this massive city, we walked behind a building and stopped. As we walked I'd gotten glimpses of the wall that surrounds the city. And now I'm starring right at it. "It's a three story wall, meant to keep us in and them out. And it's failed at both." I'm not going to bother asking how tall a story is. He walks up to it and pulls up two of the six inch wide panels, creating enough room for me to get through. "So, what's your plan?"

"I need to find my friends and tell them that we need to move up our plans, to get the hundred out."

"You plan on breaking them out?" He asked. "How many of you are there?"

"Seven, including me." He looked more shocked than I thought he'd be. "That's suicide. You know that, right?" he asked. I do know that. So why am I still doing it?

"I know. I have to go."

"Are you coming back?"

"Yeah, I have to. I shouldn't be more than an hour."

"Okay." Caleb looked at the stars that had taken over the sky before I knew it. "I'll wait here." He smiled. "Someone's gotta let you back in." I nodded and then started walking. Once I was out of his sight, I picked up the pace and started running. No matter how much I want to think about him, finding the others and warning them is more important.


	8. Chapter 16: MHP

Chapter 16:

Running. I am running again. It seems like that's all I do these days. Oh well, it gives me time to think. But time is something I don't have right now. Like time to stop myself before I slam into the side of a horse. My butt hits the ground as I hear the rider try to calm her horse. The rider's voice is all too familiar. In fact it's so familiar; it's a sound I used to hate. "Jade!" I yelled as she steadied her horse. The shocked look on her face is how I pictured mine right now.

"Yachara?!" Yep, it's her. She slide off of her horse and walked over to me.

"How do you…?"

"I saw a wanted poster," she replied, "Besides, Lincoln didn't deny it when I asked. So, what happened to you?"

"It's a long story," And for right now I decided to leave that part alone. Based on the look on her face, something's wrong. "Jade, what are you doing out here?"

"I came to get you."

"Well that wasn't stupid at all."

"I know." She looked annoyed and worried at the same time, "Bellamy's dying; he needs you to save him."

"Me? Why, what can I do that you can't?"

"I don't know, but he's dying and we can't help him." Jade replied. Why did she risk her life to **possibly **save his? What's happened between those two in the last twenty-four hours, that I don't know about? I mean, no offence to her, but I thought she would've wanted him to die. Okay, my brain is hurting now. I've got twenty minutes to get back. I came out here to warn them about what Jacobsen wants to do with the hundred… not take ten to save Bellamy. Either way, I don't want him to die; don't want anyone to die. I've got too many thoughts and ideas racing through my head. Concentrating on just one is going to be impossible. "I need to get back." I blurted.

"You're going back?" Jade asked, "What about Bellamy?"

"I know, trust me," I replied, "I'm going to steal a drug that's going to save his life. But in order to do that, I need to go back. Okay?" She took a deep breath and then looked me in the eyes. "How are you going to get it?" She just happened to ask me that as I was asking that myself.

"My dad's leader of the Mountain Men. It can't be that hard." She gave me a look of disbelief. "Besides, I think I have some inside help." I smiled at an attempt to cheer her up. It didn't work; instead she looks like she's going to cry, but is holding it in because I'm here. Okay, that's my cue to leave.

"How will I know when you have it?"

"Well, how much time do you think he's got?" Avoiding the question. Smooth move, Yachara.

"Abby said he'd be lucky if he made it through the night." Great. The pressure's on. I could tell she knew I was speechless by her response, "Come on. I'll give you a ride back while you think." I followed her to her horse, where she mounted. She stretched a hand down. I grabbed it and then herald myself on to the back of the horse. She kicked the horse forward; running as fast as it could go. I had her stop a mile or so away, so no one would see her leaving. I dismounted and then looked up at her, "You'll meet someone here in three hours to get the medicine. Now go." I turned and ran before she could say anything. I'm already late and can't afford to waste any more time.  
As soon as I reach the fence I notice that the hole is still open. I run up to it and slip inside. I can just barely make out Caleb's face as he puts the wood planks back in place. Right now my heart beat is all I can hear as I try to slow down my breathing. "Did you find them?"

"Yeah," I looked at him, "but now we've got a bigger problem." But before I could elaborate, a bright light shined on us.

"I knew you were going to be trouble." A man's voice said. The light's blinding me too much to even dare see who it is. Then the man put the light down, pointing it at the ground. "Adonis." Caleb said.

"Caleb." Adonis replied. Now that I can see, I know that it's him. "I didn't walk in on something, did I?" Sarcasm was the only thing I heard come out of his mouth.

"Very funny," Caleb was not amused. In fact it's almost like he expected him to find us. It was only then that I noticed Adonis was holding a gun. "Come on, Adonis. Hand it over." Caleb reached out his hand, "You're drunk. You do not need a gun right now." Caleb was right, but Adonis wasn't listening. And on top of this, now I've only got just over two hours. And I still haven't figured out how to get the MHP. I don't even know where they keep it. Unless… Okay, I just got a really good, bad idea. I glanced at Caleb to my right and then at the gun, pointed at him. I quickly shot forward, wrapping my hands around the gun. I pointed it down at the ground with my right hand as my left elbow made contact with his chin. His grip on the gun loosened just enough for me to slip it out of his hands. I stood up straight, took the safety off, and then pointed it at Adonis. Another shot of adrenaline coursed through me as I pulled the trigger. I made sure to shoot him exactly where I shot Bellamy. Caleb grabbed my arm and spun me so I faced him. "Why'd you shoot him?"

"Relax; I've got it under control." He doesn't look satisfied. "Unless you've got a better idea on how we can get some MHP, then please tell me." Realization flickered in the back of his eyes. That's when it hits him that he knows what I'm going to do. "Okay… why are we doing this?"

"A friend of mine is going to die if we don't get him the MHP in the next two hours." I replied, "Besides, Adonis isn't going to die because they'll take him into Mount Weather and therefore they'll lead us straight to the MHP where one of us will grab some and then get it back to Bellamy so he doesn't die." I followed all of that by a large inhale; apparently I was rambling.

"You're getting it for Bellamy?" he asked. That's when I wanted to slap him. But, unfortunately, I couldn't because then he wouldn't help me. I mean, really? After all of that the only thing he heard was Bellamy's name. Caleb called for help and then we spent the next five minutes arguing. This thing Caleb called a truck, backed up to us and then two men got out of it. When they asked what happened, Caleb said it was self defense just like I told him too. But only one of us could go in the truck with them to where ever they were going. And when I turned around to ask Caleb, he was gone. So that answers that. I sat in the back of the truck until we got to Mount Weather. Then I followed the two men down enough hallways to get any sane person lost. They made a sharp turn into a room, but wouldn't let me follow. Thirty seconds later, I saw a woman walk toward the room holding a tray. And on that tray is what I assume is MHP. And everyone knows what assuming does. I stepped in front of her before she reached the room. "Is he going to be okay?" I blurt it out as fast and worried as possible, even though I don't really care. I can tell instantly that she's the type to get mad at the little things, like me.

"Even though there are things MHP can't cure, I'm sure this is no problem," she replied in an annoyed tone. I look down at the tray full of bright blue vials. "Is that MHP?" I point.

"Yes." I noticed she had several vials and couldn't help myself.

"How much will you use?" Now I see steam.

"It depends on the injury," She tried to step around me, but I was faster than her. "At least two." I nodded and let her leave. Best part is that she's too busy mumbling something, she doesn't notice me taking two vials. I shove them in my pockets and then walk up to the first guard I see. "Can you take me back to the Jacobsen house?" Once he realized who I was, he nodded. He then led me to a black truck, which he used to drive me home. Or I should say Jacobsen's home. Never in a million years will you catch me calling myself one of them. Even though it doesn't seem like it, shooting Adonis wasn't easy. I don't even like shooting people who are trying to kill me. But I have to admit, Anya would be the only one I'd actually like to kill. The truck stops, allowing me just enough time to slide out before he speeds off. "Well goodbye to you, too." I mutter as I walk inside. I'm not even sure if this is even the right house. But now that I think about it, the yelling coming from upstairs confirms it. A minute later the door behind me opens and Caleb walks in. He walks up to me, standing two inches from my face. "Did you get it?" He asked as I looked up into his eyes.

"Of course I did." I would've said more but my train of thought disappeared as soon as Caleb's eyes locked on to something behind me. I turned to see Jacobsen walking down the stairs. How am I getting out of this? I am not shooting him too.

"Yachara, what happened?" Jacobsen asked as he walked over to the bar. My silence caused him to look back at me. "She's a little… shaken up." Caleb stepped in and answered before I could think. "I'm sure she can explain it all a lot better tomorrow. But I really should be going." I haven't given him the vials yet. He turned and headed for the door. Why is he walking away? Caleb glanced at me over his shoulder like he was trying to tell me something. He put his hand on the knob as I remember what it was. Here goes nothing. I walked up behind Caleb, putting my hand on his shoulder and spinning him around. And I put my hand around his neck, pulling his face down to my level, I slid the vials from my pocket. My lips made contact with his, causing me to hesitate. But after my three second out of body experience and the rest of the world came back into focus, I reached behind him and slid the vials into his back pocket. As soon as I pulled my hand back, he pulled away. He glanced up at Jacobsen before standing up straight. Does that mans opinion really matter to everyone that much? Caleb put his hands in his back pockets and then cleared his throat, "Goodnight." Then he slipped out as fast as he could, probably worried Jacobsen would shoot him. Then I hear Jacobsen clear his throat. And not in the good way. Now I know I'm in for it.


	9. Chapter 18: Mt Weather Quarantine

Chapter 18:

I didn't sleep; didn't even try, to be honest. I just spent the whole night lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. There's just so much to think about and not enough time. So many unanswered questions; what if Caleb didn't find the meeting spot? What if what I stole wasn't enough to save Bellamy? A knock at the door breaks my thoughts. I don't get up and just slightly glance in the direction of the door. It's probably just Jacobsen again, coming to give me another lecture. If I could I'd go back in time just long enough to see that look on Jacobsen's face again, after I kissed Caleb last night. Now that was priceless. "Yachara…" I hear Alexander whisper my name against the door. He sounds defeated; like someone sucked the life out of him. He probably just had a fight with Jacobsen. My guess is that he's nice to me because I'm not a jerk to him all the time. Which is also why he's so willing to trust me. And this I can use to my advantage. I got up and headed for the door. I opened it to find Alex, just like I thought.

"I've told you a hundred times," I began, "it was self defense."

"So I've heard." Alex mumbled as he stepped into the room.

"So, why are you here?"

"Dad's blaming me. For what happened to Adonis." He replied. Why is he telling me this? No matter if I wanted to or not, I can't change what Jacobsen does. "Uh… I'm sorry?" That was the best reply I could come up with. He shook his head as he sat down on the corner of the bed. "Well, what do you want me to say?" It came out sounding more frustrated than I thought it would. He put his head down and then hunched over. "Okay, that didn't come out how it was supposed to." Silence filled the room. What does this boy want? I don't want to sound mean or anything, but I've got a lot more important stuff I could be doing right now. "You trust me, right? Or at least a lot more than you do your father?" Five seconds go by before he nods. "Do you know about your father's plan to brainwash the hundred?"

"No. But I'm not surprised." He replied. I spent the next twenty minutes telling him everything. And I mean everything; who exactly the hundred are, how I found Lincoln and the others in the cave, the real reason why I shot Adonis, how I met Caleb, and so on. He seemed to take all of this really well. "Alexander, I need your help getting them out of Mount Weather." I said.

"Is that a question or a statement?" he asked.

"Both."

"Okay, I'll help you. Under one condition." I knew there had to be a catch here somewhere; this whole thing was going way too easily. "That Adonis and I get to leave with you guys."

"Okay, done." It's a really good thing I thought of this sooner. I can only imagine how they feel. I've been only been here for like two days and I'm already wanting to kill Jacobsen. "Do you have access to Mount Weather at any time, or do I have to shoot someone else?" A smile quickly spread across his face. "Yes, I do." He said as I started pacing.

"Do you have access to-"

"Yachara," I stopped and looked at him, "my dad runs the place. I can get you in anywhere you want."

An hour later and we were inside Mount Weather. Would've been sooner but we had to wait for Jacobsen to leave with his soldiers and the rest of the weekly hunting party. I still can't figure out why no one knew this city was here. I bet Anya knew. You know, I wouldn't be surprised if they'd been working together this whole time. Alex drove us through a different entrance than the one I went through before. Then he led me down each creepy white hallway until we reached a door that read 'Quarantine'. I've got to say, Mount Weather is the whitest place on Earth. I'm surprised these people aren't blind yet. Alex said a few things to the guards and then they let us by. I guess around here having 'Jacobsen' stamped on the end of your name is a good thing. My plan is to get as much information out of Anya that I can before Breakout Day. But first I need to tell Clarke what the plan is so she doesn't freak out when the time comes. Alex and I walked up to her cell and stopped in front of the two guards placed at her cell. She should feel honored; her cell is the only one with guards out front. "We have orders to speak with her more on a certain mater." He told them, "And this one's off record, if you know what I mean." One of the guards nodded and then brought a radio up to his lips, "Cut the cams." He said as the other guard opened the door. We walked inside without a word. The sound of the door shutting broke the silence. She was sitting on the bed in the middle of the room, sketching something with some paper they'd given her.

"What is it you want to ask me this time?" She sounds like she's lost hope of ever getting out of here. But more importantly, I can hear a streak of defiance. According to Alex, she's the only one that hasn't told them her name yet. Which is good because it gives me something to run with.

"Well, Clarke," Her eyes locked onto mine, "I'm here to help you escape."

"Why would Mountain Men help me escape?"

"I don't expect you to trust me. But I'm here to help you and I don't have much time to explain. But in two days, we're breaking all of you out of here."

"You two, alone?"

"No." I replied, "It'll be us and Lincoln, Octavia, Bellamy, Finn, and this other chick you don't know." There it is; that fire inside of her that kept her going for all of those months was dead. Not anymore. "And, your mother and a lot of other people from the Ark are here too."

"They're alive?"

"Yes, but in order for this to work you can't talk to anyone else about this besides us." Alex stepped forward and handed her a key card. "This will unlock all of the doors in the quarantine area. In two days, around mid-night, when you see one of us outside your door use this to get yourself out."

"You probably won't see us again before Breakout Day. But we are telling the truth. My name is Yachara and this is Alexander." I said. Clarke quickly tossed aside what she was working on and then began writing. A few seconds later, she folded it in half and gave it to me.

"Can you get this to them?" She asked. I nodded and then we left, without another word. I put it with the note I had written, as we walked. I stopped and turned to Alex. "I can find my way to Anya's cell from here," I gave him the letters. "Can you please take these now, and then meet me when you're done?" He slipped the letters into his jacket and then left. On the way here, he agreed to take a letter down to the old dungeon and put in the crack that I slipped through, many years ago. I just hope Jade finds them before B-Day, or else this is going to be the worst escape attempt ever. I continued down the hall, until I came across her cell. I told the guards the same thing Alex told the last two. It worked and they opened the door. This room was different from the one Clarke is in; it's a brick room with a black floor. She's sitting in the corner, behind metal bars. "Well look who finally showed up." Anya got up and walked up to the bars. "Yachara."

"Annabelle." I replied. She cringed at the name. "You must be eager to tell me something, if you've been waiting for me."

"Yes," she said, "I want to tell you something I never told your father." Okay, this should be good. "I'm sure you've met Jacobsen's boys, the twins."

"Yes, I have. Now can you get on with it, I'm in a bit of a rush."

"They aren't the only set of twins he has." Anya's been lying to me my whole life. So this is a lie or the truth, meant to make me mad. "You had a twin sister." Why did she say 'had'?

"Come again?"

"I found your mother a month after you two were born. When she wouldn't join me, I killed her and then took her babies. But I didn't need two. So I gave one to one of my soldiers and told him to get rid of it. But I kept you so that one day you could take my place. I was planning on, one day, merging my group with your father's. That's why I had you marked with your father's family crest; everyone in his family has that same tattoo." My silence pleased her. She thinks she got under my skin; something she lives for. This time she has. I'm so mad at her she's lucky she's behind bars. She noticed the look of realization on my face. I put my head back and closed my eyes.

"You were Jacobsen's first… weren't you?" She doesn't have to say anything, because I know I'm right. "That's why you kept me and marked me and tried to raise me as yours. It's also why you wanted to merge with him and why you're still alive. Because you two are still in love." And I live for moments like this; when I get to prove I'm smarter than her. "It's also why you're kept in the dark…. you're pregnant."

"Nothing I said ever did faze you." Anya said, "Congratulations, you're the second to know our secret."

"Which soldier did you use to get rid of the kid?"

"How do you think Lincoln proved himself to me?"

"Oh, Anya… You're so stupid I don't know whether to laugh or feel sorry for you." I turned around and walked out of the room.


	10. Chapter 20: The Plan

Chapter 20:

Alex was waiting for me outside of Anya's quarantine cell, when I was done. He looked like he was waiting for me to give him an ear full. Even though she got under my skin, I'm glad I didn't let Alex talk me out of it. I don't care if she knows it or not, the information she gave me was priceless. Now I know I've got a sister and better yet, where to find her. "How'd it go?" He, cautiously, asked me. I was too busy thinking, I didn't know that we'd started walking back down the hall.

"Fine." I couldn't tell if that was a statement or a question. "I'll, uh… tell you when we get home." He nodded, understanding that whatever she told me couldn't be repeated within these walls. Once we were out of Quarantine, Alex led me to the stair case. After I had a small freak out moment in an elevator, Alex's been leading me through Mount Weather via stairs. I think he called it "Claustrophobia"; whatever that is. Just like the rest of the building, there is no definition between wall and stair. Once we were on the sixth floor, the garage, we got into Alex's Jeep and left. According to Alex, Mount Weather has twelve floors; five of which are below ground. With so many floors, it makes our escape plan a little harder. But still doable. I don't think anything can stop us from getting them out. I get out of the car before it has a chance to come to a complete stop. And I can hear Alex shutting his door as I reach the front door. After I close it behind me, a second later it re opens. Alex closes the door and then walks over to a chair and sits down.

"So what did she say to get you all in a huff?" He asked. I took a few seconds to think before I opened my big mouth.

"Did you know that Anya and Jacobsen have, literally, been in bed together for the last twenty years?" I asked. His face was screaming 'no', as he sat up straighter.

"No and I'm not sure I'd trust anything she'd said, unless I had proof."

"Are we the only one's here?" I probably should've asked that sooner. He nodded, but wasn't really paying attention to me. That last question is making him rethink everything his father ever did, which tells me that a small part of him believes me. "She's pregnant, Alex. They had plans to take over the world since before they even came down to Earth. Their next step was to merge the Grounders and Mountain Men. The only thing that stopped them was the drop ship with the hundred on it. And had their plan succeeded, the Earth would've erupted into another world war-" That's when I stopped myself. They wanted the world to break out into a war. If it had, the Grounders would've been wiped off the face of the Earth and that would've gotten rid of the Mountain Men's top enemy. "Okay, now I'm really glad that the hundred came."

"When are you going to start doing all of that thinking on the outside of your head?" Alex's voice broke through my thoughts.

"As soon as I stop forgetting to remind myself that I'm not alone, anymore." I told him everything I just thought off; Anya and Jacobsen's **real** plan to take over the world. Now I'm starting to sound like someone who's spent eight years alone in the woods, talking to a tree. Oh, wait. Walked right into that one. Anyway, Adonis is supposed to come home in an hour. Alex says he's getting the best treatment in the world. Of course he rolled his eyes when he said it, but it still makes me wonder why he wants Adonis to come with us. Why would you want the guy that you hate, with a passion, to be saved with everyone else? Is Jacobsen really so bad that Alex feels he has to save his brother from him? At least I know what it was that attracted Anya to him. Which is good, since I was going to stay up all night thinking about it. Gross. That's a nasty thought; my aunt and my father… together. "What?" Alex, once again, broke my train of thought. The combination of the look on my face and the shiver that just went up my spine didn't set well with him.

"Just ignoring everything you were saying while I thought of something completely different that, now that I think about it, I wish I hadn't." I replied.

"Never mind," he said, "we should go over the plan. Just to make sure we've got it down."

"You mean 'you'."

"So, you're friends, Jade and Lincoln, will take out the guards," he began, ignoring my comment, "while Caleb let's in the others."

"And Adonis will open the underground entrance to the mountain."

"While you and I unlock all of the cells."

"Is he even going to agree to help us?" I asked, "Because if he doesn't, then that's going to really mess up our plans."

"After I tell Adonis everything you just told me, yeah he'll agree. Now back to the plan," Alex replied, "All of this hinges on level eleven being locked down. Now are you sure they can do that?"

"Yes. Jade won't stop until it is."

"Now, are you sure Abby and Octavia know how to use the rocket launcher?"

"Sure, I mean how hard could it be? Besides I'm sure they used them on the Ark."

"Right… You mean the spaceship?"

"This is the part when we change the subject." We both chuckled for a moment and then started thinking about different things, I'm sure. This is our last and only chance to get them out of Mount Weather. Mainly, because Jacobsen's not here. By the time he gets back from his hunting trip, we'll be long gone. And so will Anya. I don't care what Jade or Lincoln has to say about it, she's coming with me. And if anything, she'll be coming as an insurance policy. If he cares about her that much, there's no way Jacobsen would risk following. "There's something else Anya told me."

"Do I want to know?"

"Yeah," I said, "I…we have a sister. Apparently Jacobsen has a thing for twins."

"You have a twin sister?" That look of shock returned to his face. "How do you know she's telling the truth?"

"Because I know Anya. And I know who and where she is."

"Well?" Surprised at how well he's taking this, I was about to tell him when there was a knock on the door. "Hold that thought." He got up and jogged to the door. A minute later I saw Adonis's wonderful face. As normal, he's just so happy to see me; words can't describe it. But I have a few words to describe how I feel about him. But those should stay in my mind… for now.

"You." Hatred laced every inch of his voice, as he pointed his finger at me.

"I hear you were given a lot more MHP then I was. Which means-" At that, Adonis lunged for me. But for him, the floor was closer. "You're a little unstable, right now." I glanced up at Alex. He put his hands in the air.

"I tried to warn him. But if he wants to make out with the floor, who am I to stop him?"

"Shut up." Adonis grumbled. Alex then helped him up and started leading him to his room. They were half way up the stairs when Caleb walked into the house. Another one of Adonis's favorite people. Caleb's presence caused Alex to move faster. "We're gonna talk about the plan." Alex yelled over his shoulder.

"Okay." I yelled back, and then turned to Caleb. "Well that was totally expected." He chuckled and I suddenly felt the urge to turn away as my cheeks began to burn. That's odd; I don't know why my cheeks would heat up like that. Besides, it's just Caleb; meaning, there's no reason for me to be feeling this nervous, right now.

"You still sure you want to go through with this?" he asked.

"Of course. Getting them out has been my top priority." I replied.

"Why? I thought you said you didn't know any of them."

"I'm doing this because a friend asked me too."

"Must be some friend, if you're willing to risk you're life for total strangers."

"Yeah, he is." My reply didn't seem to set well with him. "But we're not exactly friends. He just grew up under Anya's rules, like I did." I could see his shoulders relax as he walked across the room to a chair. He didn't like something I said, but I don't know what. I'm a stranger in this town; I don't know what the right thing to say to anyone is. He knows almost nothing about me and I know just as much about him. So why am I so willing to trust him? It's not because he saved me. It's not because he helped me save Bellamy. I'm sure it's not because he kissed me. This is annoying. For all I know, he could be setting us up. But Alex trusts him. And I trust Alex for some strange reason. I haven't figured that out yet, either. Nothing good ever happens when I start to question myself. "Turns out, there's going to be another Jacobsen, soon." Now I'm just making small talk. Smooth.

"So, that's why he hasn't killed her yet." He said.

"Yep," I replied, "And on top of that, they were planning to destroy the Grounders together."

"Gotta love your family."

"Yeah, well Jacobsen's the only reason why I'm glad I grew up where I did. I can't imagine being stuck here with him." Silence filled the room. I could tell we were both searching for something to say. "So how'd it go with the drop off?"

"Good. She was much more crazy, than you described."

"Then you found the right girl." I said, "She's a loose cannon, that's for sure." More silence. This went on for a good thirty seconds, before Alex broke it.

"Okay, tell me her name." He said.

"How'd it go with Adonis?"

"Long story short, he's helping us. Now tell me."

"Tell you what?" Caleb asked.

"Anya also told me I have a twin sister. And I know who she is." I replied, letting Alex sweat a little longer. For some reason he really wants to know; which makes me wonder, all the more, whose side he's really on.

"Of course you do." He replied.

"Yachara…" Alex said it like he caught me doing something wrong. I smiled and then looked at him.

"Fine." I said, "Her name is Jade."


	11. Chapter 22: Breakout Day

Chapter 22:

"You were the one who came after me!" I screamed as loud as I could; and have been for the last twenty minutes. Last night Alex and I stayed up way too late talking about today. Breakout Day. I didn't get up until noon and avoided Adonis by going for a run around the wall surrounding the city. I thought he'd be gone by the time I came back, but I was still cautious when I entered the house. Still, I was dead wrong. Adonis was waiting for me when I got back. Thankfully Alex stuck around in case things got physical; which they did. It only took five minutes for that to happen. And only because I told him he was lucky to still have his life. I guess that's something you shouldn't tell the guy you just shot. But he is; I totally could've killed him. It's also a good thing that last night I told Alex what really happened, that night. And I can tell he's impressed with my capability to lie. Adonis is still yelling at me, as I'm thinking all of this.

"Come on, Don." Alex said, "You were so drunk I was surprised you could even stand."

"So you're both trying to tell me that I got drunk and then hunted her down?" Adonis pointed at me as Alex stepped in between us. He doesn't need to protect me; I can handle myself just fine. But I'll let him play the role of the protective brother. Just this once. None of this lying stuff would've worked had Adonis actually known what happened. Then I'd really be in for it.

"For the hundredth time," I yelled, "Yes!" What more can I say to this guy? We continued to argue for another twenty minutes. The whole time, Alex was just backing up what I said. In the end, we agreed to disagree. But Alex got him to agree to not try and kill me or Caleb. Poor guy; maybe someday he'll know that he's not totally crazy. He finally stormed upstairs, mumbling something as he went. I breathed a sigh of relief as I sat down on the couch; Alex did the same. "That…actually went pretty well."

"Yeah," he agreed, "Problem is, we still got ten hours to kill." We both looked at each other, and mentally agreed, that a nap is the first thing we should do. The late night, the argument with Adonis, the run I took this morning; all of it just sucked the life right out of me. But I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. When I woke up, the sky was dark; like the sun had just set. Guess I was out a lot longer than I thought. I walked down the stairs as Alex was getting the packs ready at the bar. "It's about time you got up. Caleb should be here soon."

"How long was I out?" I asked.

"About five hours. You've got time to go back to sleep, if you need too."

"No, thanks. I've fought wars with a lot less sleep than this." I tried to make my voice light and fluffy, like it was no big deal. I don't think he got it. Laid out on the bar were our four black back packs; each had a patch with 'Mt. Weather' on it, on the front of the bag. "You've got a really nice life here. You sure you're ready to leave it all for a group of strangers?" His hands stopped moving and he froze. He sighed and then looked at me. He had the same look on his face as he did when I first met him; like everything he had was fine, but his curiosity got the better of him. Not only does he want to get away from his dad but he's bored with the way things are.

"Yes, Yachara, I am." He glanced down, "Now are you going to help me with these packs or not?" At first he was serious and then he smiled.

"Yes, but first," I grabbed the bag closest to me. I found the corner of the patch and then tore it off of the bag. I then put the bag down and slapped the patch onto the counter. Then I looked at Alex, daring him to do it to. So he did. Once all of the bags were missing their patches, I put the patches in a pile on the counter. I pulled a hunting knife out of my pocket, one of the one's I carved my name into, and then drove it into the center of the pile. Then, we spent the next hour getting the bags ready; packing them full of guns, clips, a small medical kit, some glow sticks, and some MRE's.

"And since I think you're going to do something stupid, I'm putting a blanket and a small two person tent in yours." Alex told me as he shoved them into my bag. I don't think I'll need anything else but the guns. But what's a little extra weight when I'm kicking Mountain Men butt? Caleb showed up a little while later, dressed in black clothing like I told him. None of these guys has ever done anything like this before. Sure Alex and Adonis have their MM training and Caleb learned a lot from Bellamy when he was with the hundred, but nothing beats experience.  
We started to go over the plan as Caleb did a quick once over in his bag. The only way we knew Adonis was still alive was when a girl walked into the house and headed straight for his room. I think that took all of us off guard, based on the looks we were passing around. But we brushed it off and kept talking; running the plan over and over. Eleven o'clock. Time to move. We were putting our packs on when Adonis came down the stairs.

"Let's get this over with," he said as Caleb handed him his pack.

"Okay," I exchanged looks with Alex and then continued, "Before we go, I want to remind everyone that once this is over… you can't come back. So if you'd like to grab something, now's the time to do it." As I spoke, Adonis put a small silver box into his bag.

"I'm good." He said.

"Yeah, I've got everything I need, too." Alex told me. I looked at Caleb and he nodded.

"Okay, then. You know your mission and you know what the goal is. So Alex and I will see you two in about an hour and a half, on the eighth floor of Mount Weather." Everyone nodded and then put their packs on. Alex and Caleb started heading for the door, with Adonis and I right behind them. I felt a hand on my arm, bring me to a stop. Then Adonis turned me toward him. I was preparing for him to break the deal he made with Alex, but then he leaned closer to me and whispered, "Take care of him." Then he walked away. Was he really concerned for his brother's life, or was he saying goodbye? I stood there in the house, taken off guard by what he said. I snapped out of it and ran outside to find him. I searched, but in the total darkness of night I could barely see Alex.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing." I replied as I stared into darkness, "Did they already leave?"

"Yeah, and we should too." He replied, thinking he'll see his brother again. But I'm not so sure. We started walking toward Alex's car. The whole way there I was thinking about what Adonis said and not what my mission was. Which is not a good thing. In the past, when I haven't been in the right state of mind going into a battle, I've lost. And this time I can't lose; the stakes are too high. The amount of lives that could be lost is too high for me to lose this battle. The clock read '11:30' by the time Alex shut off the car. Right about now, Jade and Lincoln should be taking out the two guard posts. Inside the mountain however, there are the two guards at the gate and then two more on level eight. Everyone else is off duty and sleeping on the eleventh floor. Alex handed me my pack and then we started for the stairs. We went four levels, two stairs at a time, but then had to stop. Apparently Alex has a bad knee, he didn't tell me about, so we had to go a little slower. But we're making good time. At the sixth floor, Alex told me to go ahead and take out the guards. So I did.

I walked up to the eighth floor door and peaked in the window. A twenty foot long hallway, white as can be, separates me from the two guards. I pulled out a knife and then through the door open. I just started walking down the hall, at first. "No one's allowed on this level, at this time." One of the guards told me. Ten feet from the door and he pointed his gun at me. "Miss, I'm going to need you to turn around." Seven feet. "Miss!" Five feet. With both guns on me, I rolled forward onto the floor and I stopped moving two feet away from them. As they pulled the trigger and fired bullets at nothing, I stabbed one of the men in the thigh and then moved on to the next. I stood up, grabbing his gun with one hand and slitting his throat with the other. He fell to the ground with his finger still holding down the trigger. With my hand on his gun, I turned it, redirecting his aim into the other guy. Two down, zero to go. A split second later, the stair well door opened. I saw Alex's face just as the shooting stopped.

"You are so lucky these walls are sound proof."

"I know, right." I replied with a grin.

"You have a gun, why not use it?" he asked.

"Everyone knows, when you're on a mission, up close killing is better," I explained, "Bullets are for revenge kills. This is not revenge, this is business."

"I can see that." He glanced down at the two men.

"Come on," I took the card from his hand and swiped it at the door. It opened and we headed inside. Alex started with the ones right next to the door, while I headed down by where Clarke's cell was. I had five open before Clarke finally opened her door and came out. "Took you long enough."

"Well I had to be sure." She replied, "Did they get the letter?"

"I hope so," I said, "Otherwise, it's gonna be a lot harder to get out of here. But, in the mean time," I pointed to the key card in her hand, "Why don't you open some doors."

An hour later, the quarantine door opened. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked as Lincoln, Kane, Finn, and Adonis walked in.

"Heard you guys needed some help," Finn announced when he saw us.

"About time," Alex walked up to them and handed out key cards. Then he spent the next five minutes showing Lincoln how they worked. Shortly after that, Caleb showed up. He walked up to Adonis and tapped him on the shoulder. "You ready?"

"Yeah," Adonis gave his card to the person next to him. Then they started walking toward the exit at the other end of the hall. I ran behind them. "What are you guys doing?" Caleb turned to me.

"Something's come up that we need to take care of." He replied.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, don't worry we'll be fine. Just have to tie up a loose end. But I'll meet you outside the mountain." Without another word or before I had a chance to protest, he and Adonis left. I still have no idea where they're going. But I can't think about that now. Jade and Bellamy walk in through the other door. Bellamy stops to talk to Clarke, as Jade heads for the first locked door. So Bellamy's alive. I'll let you know later if that's a good thing or not. Alex gave Jade a card as I started taking a head count. There are supposed to be sixty-three of them, not including our little rescue group. With only twenty-one cells left to open, I started heading for the one cell Jacobsen doesn't want me to touch: Anya's.


	12. Chapter 24: Breakout Day 2

Chapter 24:

That is not how I wanted her to find out. We were supposed to be alone, after all of this, and I was supposed to tell her. Not being trapped in a room with Anya, Lincoln, Jade, and myself. But, whatever. I can't change what's happened. But enough of that; something's not right. Jade is speaking into the radio. I can't hear very well as it is, adding all of these people on top of it makes it so I can barely hear her. I only caught the tail end. "Raven and I can go," I said it with a flat tone. Raven had mentioned that she got with this stuff; so, why not? I looked to Raven and she nodded. Then we headed for the stairs.

"This should be a piece of cake." She said, pushing open the stair well door. "I also snagged a radio, so we can tell them when we've fixed it." By the tenth floor, we were both sweating. Someone cranked up the heat.

"Are you sure," I puffed out, "You know what to do?"

"Yeah. It shouldn't be a problem, once we get there." She sounded like I did; tired and winded. There's just one thing that concerns me; we sent Jade and Bellamy to the eleventh floor… to lock it up. Alex said, all of the guards sleep there. So, this is a problem. But I'm not going to tell her. She needs to concentrate on fixing the elevator. We finally reached the eleventh floor. As she approaches the door, I put my hand on her shoulder, stopping her. "Best let me go first," I said as I took my pack off. At first she looked at me weird, then she saw the gun I pulled out of my bag. "You find the room and I'll cover you. But stay behind me. Got it?" With a nervous face, she nodded.

"What's in there?"

"Lots of men, with guns." I opened the door before she could reply and walked into the room, a gun in each hand. A second later, I felt her hand grab the back loop on my jeans and hold on. She's using me as a human shield; smart girl. I glanced behind me, "Let me know when you see it." I saw her nod out of the corner of my eye. The hall way we're walking down has got to be at least three hundred feet long. There's a door every three feet, white with black letters on it; but I was too busy to read them. About twenty doors down from us, I saw a black shoulder poking around the door frame. I didn't hesitate to continue, but my eye stayed looked on it.

"I see it," Raven whispered, "seven doors down. It's labeled 'Control Room'." I see it, just as I see someone else; another guy, other side of the hall. I get close to the wall our door is on, but still keep the same pace. We're not getting out of here without some kind of bloodshed. Three doors to go when the first guy fires; he missed by a foot and hit the wall instead. Raven jumped as we quickened our pace. As soon as we got to the door, I pushed Raven into it as I shot at the places I saw people hiding. A second later I heard the door unlock, meaning Raven used the key card. With my back to her, I shoved both of us through the door and onto the floor inside. I put my leg on the door and slammed it shut before anyone else could come through. I lowered my guns and rested my head on the ground as I sighed. Raven got up and began trying to lock the door. I rolled over onto my stomach and glanced around the room. We are not alone. There are two men sitting down at a screen and three standing on the other side staring at us. "Okay, it's locked." She turned around and saw the men. She swallowed hard and looked like she'd pass out. The men didn't look shocked to see us, meaning they knew we were coming. The three standing began pulling out their guns as I held both of mine up. Two bullets a piece and now they're on the floor. The two sitting down looked at me.

"Get up." I ordered them. They quickly did as I said. I followed them, my gun pointed at their backs, as they lined up against the wall. "Make it fast, Raven." She hesitated for a second and then sat down in front of the screens. Two minutes later, she stood up.

"Okay, I'm done."

"It's fixed?"

"Yeah, they should be working now." She replied.

"Okay. Go stand by the door and be ready to unlock it, when I say." I told her. I looked away from the men just long enough to see Raven by the door. Then, I turned away from the men and pointed my gun at the screens. I put a bullet in each screen, emptying one of my guns. I saw something move out of the corner of my eye a second before someone jumped on me. I was on my back with one of the men on top of me. I heard metal on concrete as my gun slid out of my hands and across the floor. He had me pinned to the floor, with no way out. Or so he thought. I got one of my legs free and then brought me knee up, slamming it in between his. That gave me a small opening, just enough time to get my hand free. I pulled out one of the knives from my belt and then drove it into his stomach. One down. As he went limp, I pushed him off and got to my feet as the other man charged me. I was ready to take out this guy too, when he dropped dead with blood spilling out of two holes in his chest. I was stunned for a minute. I heard the gun go off and saw him fall, but I didn't pull the trigger. I turned around and saw Raven lowering the gun. "Let me guess," she said, "you had it under control?"

"Well…yeah. But thanks." My reply shocked her and I'm not sure why. I took the gun from her and reloaded it before giving it back. Then I reloaded my gun. As Raven unlocked the door, I rang the blood out of my shirt. As soon as I heard the door unlock, my gun went up. I walked out first, cautiously of course. The hall way is empty. And in my experience, that's not a good thing. I motioned for Raven to step out; and she did. I walked to the exit with my back turned to it, keeping an eye out. We were almost to the door, when I heard something from down the hall; a weird sound that echoed in the hall. Then the door next to me flew open and someone jumped out into the hall. He caught me off guard, which allowed him the chance to grab my wrists with one hand and punch me with the other. I kept my left hand on the gun as I jabbed him with my right elbow, several times. He pulled out a knife and cut into my arm. Though it hurt, it gave me a chance to shot him; I put two bullets in his chest and then ran for the door. By the time I got there, Raven was holding it open for me. I ran through and she quickly shut and locked the door behind me.

"Are you okay?" She asked. I looked down at my arm; a red line on the inside of my arm, starting at my elbow, goes half way down to my wrist. It's bleeding, but not too bad.

"I'm fine," I started walking down the stairs, "come on." We went down faster than we did going up the stairs. Once we made it back down, whoever could got in the elevator. "I'll take the stairs." Jade didn't seem to question my decision. Then again, she is mad at me. But I ran down three more flights of stairs and then emerged into the old dungeon. The same dungeon I rescued Jade from all those years ago. But I doubt she's thinking about that right now. It's hard to make out who's who in this sea of people. People were starting to get excited and knocking each other around. Then out of nowhere, red lines about three inches apart, lined the doorway. No one stopped; everyone kept shoving. I was standing five people away from it and I could feel the heat coming off of it. This can't be good. Then some guy in a red shirt got pushed through the red lines. His body lay sliced in a dozen different pieces on the other side. Jade and a few others came up to the bars.

"What do we do now?" Finn asked as he looked at Jade and I. I looked over everyone on my side of the lines. Alex, Lincoln, Finn, and Bellamy are trapped on my side, along with a few others. I walked up to the bars.

"We'll go up and out. Take them and leave as planned." I replied. Jade nodded to let me know she heard me and then I turned around. I walked straight over to Lincoln.

"What are those things?" he asked.

"I have no idea. But we're going to have to go out the way we came. How many are here?" I said.

"Twenty two, including us." Lincoln replied.

"Okay." I heard a loud explosion; their way out. As everyone on the other side started leaving, the folks on my side weren't too happy. "Okay, calm down. We're still getting out of here, just not that way." I yelled over them, "I want everyone to follow Alex; he will lead us to plan B." They grumbled but obeyed. Everyone followed Alex to the stairs as Bellamy came up to me.

"Didn't know there was a plan B." he said.

"Neither did I." I watched as everyone filled into the stair well.

"What's in your pack?" he asked.

"Why?"

"Because you need to put something on that before you bleed out." Bellamy pointed to my arm and then walked up to my pack. He riffled through it until he found the small first aid kit. "Hold out your arm."

"We don't have time-"

"Just like you didn't have time to save me. But you did it anyway," I didn't have anything good to argue back with. "Now hold out your arm." I did what he said and then watched as he put gauze on it. He wrapped it with something he found in the first aid kit and then put the kit back in my pack. "Do I want to know whose blood is on your shirt?"

"Nope." I looked down at my arm and then back at him, "Thanks. Now come on." I started heading for the stairs. We were the last two to enter the stair well. "Here," I held out the gun I had given Raven; once we were out of the stairs, she gave it back. He took it from me and put it in his belt. He kept his eyes straight ahead as he said, "I wanted to apologize for being such a jerk to you."

"Who told you to tell me that?" I asked. He was really thinking about it for a moment, so I nudged him with my arm and smiled. He realized I was joking and returned the smile. "But, seriously dude; it's water under the bridge." We finally came out of the stair well on the sixth floor. I heard Alex call my name, so I left Bellamy and headed for the front of the pack. "What's wrong?"

"Guard post three needs taken out, or else we'll be spotted." He told me. I nodded and then found Lincoln. I explained the situation and then he left the go take out the guard.

"Okay, listen up." Alex yelled over everyone talking. "We are going out that door," he pointed at it as he spoke, "and I'm going to need everyone to be quiet. We're going out the door and going left. We will follow the side of the mountain to the fence. Once at the fence, Yachara is going to blow a hole in the side of it. Once that happens everyone will know where we are. Lincoln will catch up with us and when he does, everyone needs to run after him so we don't get caught." Alex then led everyone to the door. I went out first and started leading the way for Alex. As I was walking, I glanced up at the guard post just in time to see Lincoln on his way down. Hopefully that means that he succeeded. I took my pack off and got out two grenades I got from Jade. I slid the pack back on as I pulled the pin on one. As one left my hands, I quickly pulled the other pin and through it too. They both exploded on impact, fifteen feet away. The hole was made, and Lincoln was waiting on the other side. I ran through the hole and made a sharp right turn, stopping next to the fence. I then watched as everyone came through the hole and then started running, following Lincoln. So far, everything seems to be working as planned. No we just have to find our way back to the Ark, from here. Bellamy was the last one through, and I could tell that something was wrong.

"What's wrong?" I asked. He stood next to me.

"Like Alex said, they know we're here."

"How many?"

"A lot. They've got more guns than I've ever seen and they're chasing after us."

"Then let's go." I said as I pulled him along. We ran until we caught up to our group and then ran up to the front. All I could hear was us, running through the woods. I tried listening for the men, but I couldn't hear them. Instead I heard this loud rushing sound. I've heard it before, but on a much smaller scale. We are approaching a, very, big waterfall. Next thing I know, we're stopping at its edge. From up here, it looks like a good twenty-five, thirty foot drop. "What now?" I asked Lincoln. My heart feels like it will jump out of my chest.

"That's a lot of water." Finn said as he looked over the edge.

"What now?" Bellamy asked, stepping forward. Lincoln gave me a look I know all too well. Meaning I'm not going to like this.

"Well… we jump." I replied.


	13. Chapter 26: Diversion

Chapter 26:

"We have to jump!?" a few people in the crowed asked.

"Do it right and you just might survive it." That's what Bellamy told them. Even though he'd never done it before, we had him explain how to jump off the edge of a waterfall and live. And just as we thought, the group took it better from him. I had to jump off of one half this size, once. But like I said, it was half this size. Lincoln and Bellamy were the first two to jump. Once they jumped and then yelled up to us showing that they lived, we had people lining up to jump. It's amazing how these people are so willing to trust the guy that was such a jerk to them. Unfortunately, Anya is stuck with us. Even though it was my idea to bring her, I'm not happy with it. But it brought a smile to my face when I got to push her off the edge. And you can imagine how happy I was to here that she lived.

Alex and I didn't jump until everyone else had. The water was like ice; and the cool air didn't help. My teeth started to chatter as I swam to the edge, about twenty feet away from where I landed. People took off as much clothing as they could and then started jumping up and down, trying to get warm. I reached the edge to discover that dry land started a foot above the water. I was trying, and failing, to get up on land when Lincoln reached his hand down. I took hold of it with my left hand as Alex and Finn approached from my right. Once I was up on land, I thanked them and then scanned the crowed. "Has anyone seen my pack?" Before I jumped I tossed it down, beside the waterfall so it wouldn't get too wet.

"Here you go." A voice said from behind me. I turned around to see Bellamy handing me my pack. Man, this kid really wants to be on my good side. I nodded my thanks as I took it from him. "Now what's the plan?" That's a good question. What is the plan? We need to get back to the Ark and meet up with everyone else. But I don't know where I am. I've never been in these parts before. I searched the crowed until I found Lincoln, not too far away. I walked up to him as I shivered. "Please tell me you know how to get back." I made sure to keep my voice low; the last thing we need is everyone thinking we're lost.

"Yes, I do. We'll need to go around the waterfall and then climb back up the mountain." He said, "They're still following us, so we'll need to run. It shouldn't take us more than a couple of hours."

"Then let's go." The plan sounds good to me. As long as we avoid the soldiers, then I'm fine. I am tired and cold and sore and all I want is for this to be over. We ran for about a mile, then once we reached the hill we started walking. "Okay," I said as soon as I reached the top, "take five." Everyone sighed with relief and then collapsed onto the ground. After walking up that steep hill for the last hour, we need a lot more than five minutes. But getting to the other group right now should be our main priority. If we wait till it's light out, then the Mountain Men will be able to spot us more easily. I sat down next to Lincoln. "How much longer?"

"An hour, maybe two." His voice was laced with exhaustion; like everyone else's. My side was hurting a little in the places where I was shot. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm… tired, very tired." I replied as I stood. Someone yelled a two minute warning and I walked through the group. I wanted to make sure everyone was still breathing. But I really wanted to check on Bellamy. He was given MHP like I was; but not as long ago as I was. If I can still feel some pain, then I'm sure he can too. This makes me think of Adonis, also. He and Caleb disappeared just before we left. And I didn't see either one of them with the other group. I found Bellamy sitting on a log, an arm around his waist. "You alright?"

"Yeah, just…give me a minute." He replied. An awkward silence filled the gap between us. Someone yelled that it was time to go. Everyone started getting up, including Bellamy. Or at least, he tried.

"Okay, just hold on a second," I took off my pack and started riffling through it. I pulled out a syringe filled with neon blue liquid. "Hold out your arm."

"Where did you get that? I thought they couldn't find any in Mount Weather."

"Alex gave it to me, before we left." I replied, "Now, give it." I held out my hand. He hesitated and then placed his arm in my hand. I put the nettle in his arm and then pushed in the blue liquid. I chucked the syringe into the bushes as I stood up. I looked up at the group and they had already started walking. I found Alex's face and he gave me a questioning look. I waved him on, telling him to go. Then I looked back at Bellamy, who was standing now. "Better?"

"Yeah," he replied.

"Then come on," I started walking toward the others. I could hear him following me; but that wasn't all I heard. There's something out there. I stopped walking and turned around, staring into the sunrise.

"What is it?" Bellamy stood next to me. The look on my face concerned him. My hand slowly went to my back and latched onto the gun at my belt. There's a figure in the bushes twenty feet away. But I can't tell if it's human or not. My grip got tighter on the gun as I pulled it out. Then a red dot appeared in the bushes a second before that all too familiar sound filled me ears, followed by my arm feeling like it burst into flames. The bullet hitting my left arm caused me to fall. "Come on." Bellamy yanked me to my feet and then we ran to the others. The others heard what happened and already started running. It didn't take long to catch up to them. Now we have a new question, with no answer. How do we out run a group of highly trained Mount Weather soldiers? Your guess is as good as mine. But the answer simply is, we don't. I might be able to out run them, but everyone else is too tired as it is. A few more shots were fired; slamming into trees instead of us. I looked at the crowd; trying to do a head count. I think we have everyone but Anya. Figures; she's the only one dumb enough to run toward the guns. But, desperate times call for stupid dictions. "Make sure everyone gets back to the Ark," I told him, "I going to give them what they want."

"Don't be stupid, Yachara."

"I'm not being stupid." I glanced over my shoulder as I ran. "This is called putting someone else before yourself. Now, if I'm not back in forty-eight hours you can assume the worst." I looked again; they're getting closer. "And don't follow me." And with that, I stopped in my tracks. I could tell he didn't want to, but Bellamy continued running anyway. I did nothing but watch as the men got closer. They're only twenty feet away now. Although I'm standing here, all alone, they still feel the need to hide. Good; they've heard my reputation. This also means I was right; I am their target. They could care less about the escaped prisoners, because Jacobsen will kill them if I get away. I'd bet my life on it. Oh, wait… I think I just did that. So far I see ten guys in front of me, and more are approaching.

"Hello, Mountain Morons!" I love taunting them; just daring one of them to shoot me. It's moment like these that make my day. I glanced over my shoulder and just barely can see someone running away. Good, they're safe. "I see you brought your toys." Three red dots appeared on my shirt. "Love you, too." Then a man taller than everyone else, steps into view. The same man that yanked me out of the river and tired to strangle me, when the Mountain Men came looking for me last time. Big, tall, and ugly. Jacobsen really knows how to pick 'em. He looks just as happy as he did the last time I saw him. "Ah, well. It's about time you got here. Commander Jerk Face, why don't you show them how it's done."

"Shut up, you little brat!" His tag said 'Hawk' but my name's better. His gun was bigger than everyone else's. He held it up and was a second away from pulling the trigger, when I raised my hand gun and shot him in the shoulder. His gun dropped as I took off running to my left. Not only is the ground rocky, but fallen trees are everywhere. And to top it off, the ground slopes down; making it even harder to run. But this is a normal day for me; running away from crazies with guns. The trees that are still standing, won't be for much longer if those guys don't stop shooting them. How did they teach these guys to shoot? With their eyes closed? I jumped over a log and then slipped through a foot wide gap, between two trees. Coming out on the other side, I slipped and my knee slammed into a rock. I stood up as I felt something wet on my hand. I looked down to find my left arm covered in blood all the way down to my fingertips. A bullet grazing the tree next to me brought me back to reality. I turned around and fired three bullets up the hill, taking out at least two guys. Then I continued running.

I was almost to the bottom of the hill when another bullet grazed me. I stumbled foreword and tripped, tumbling down the hill. I slammed into rocks, logs, trees, and even a few blackberry bushes on my way down. The ground finally leveled out and I came to a stop. That last bullet grazed my left shoulder four inches above the other one. They're getting closer. I pointed my gun up the hill and emptied the clip. I sat up and quickly fumbled through my bag for another one. As I ejected the empty clip, a shadow appeared above me. And I knew exactly who it was. He grabbed me by the back of my shirt as I inserted the new clip. As soon as I saw his face I shot him in the arm. He knocked the gun out of my hands, causing it to land ten feet away. Okay, so maybe this time I bit off a little bit more than I could chew. But at least I admit when I'm wrong. I felt myself fly through the air and then slam into something hard. A tree; it had to be a tree. My side burned as the other soldiers finally caught up. A soldier held out a piece of rope to my friend.

"What's that for?" Hawk asked him.

"For taking her back…?" He immediately questioned his decision to open his mouth.

"What makes you think we're taking her back alive?" I think I'd kill myself if he was my boss. I took slow, small breaths as I rolled over onto my stomach. I pushed myself up onto my hands and knees, giving him the perfect chance to hurt me. His foot slammed into my side, lifting me off of the ground a few inches. He was going to do it again and then stopped. I saw him walk away as I coughed. A second later, the ringing from a gun filled my ears. I expected to be in more pain, but he didn't shoot me. Instead he shot the young soldier he was talking too.

"Anyone one else care about what Jacobsen said?" he asked them as he showed off his hand gun. I crawled over the nearest tree and used it to help me stand up. Every time I get beat up I think I've felt the most pain that I ever have; and then someone proves me wrong. I fumbled for my last knife. Right now my only chance is to stand; if I try to run he'll only shoot me… again. He put his gun away and then turned toward me. He walked up to me and grabbed the back of my head as I quickly shoved the knife into his stomach. He pulled it out and was about to do the same to me when I punched where I stabbed him. The knife in his hands grazed my stomach, leaving a five inch long cut that's about a quarter of an inch deep. He dropped the knife and then he drove his knee into my stomach. He kneed me one more time before punching my face as hard as he could, sending me to the ground. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. Hawk wrapped his hand around my neck and then brought me up to eye level. Then he slammed me into a tree, his grip around my neck tightening.

"What are you going to do? Daddy can't save you this time." He hissed. I really hate it when people do that. Don't they know that it enrages me? I rounded up a big ball of bloody spit and shot it right in his face. I could almost see the steam coming out of his ears. He pulled his right arm back and then swung it forward, netting me go as his fist hit my face. I fell straight to the ground, landing on my injured arm. What am I doing? Why am I still acting like this is a game? Back when I was alone and had no family it was a game; and I didn't care if I lost. But now I have a family. I've got Alex and Adonis and Jade, of all people. But I can't win this battle. Had I handled it differently, maybe I could've won. Besides… I'm too old for this stuff. I rolled onto my stomach just to get off of my arm. Then I heard guns firing and men yelling orders. What is going on? I feel very light headed and my vision is starting to blur. But from what I can see, it looks like the Mountain Men have turned on each other. Everything's distorted and my hearing is fuzzy. Someone touches my arm and rolls me over. I can't make out a face, but it's a dark haired man, that I know. If he's saying something, I can't hear him. Then I feel him put one arm under my legs and the other around my back. I'm not the type to go off with strangers but I can't fight back. He picks me up and starts walking away from the battle. I probably know him since he hasn't killed me yet. I finally went limp after a few seconds and then watched as everything faded to black.


	14. Chapter 28: Angel with a Shotgun

Chapter 28:

My eyes darted open, as if I was waking up from a nightmare. I'm staring at the top off a tree, watching as the sky peeks through its leaves. How long was I out? Better yet, where am I? I tried to sit up, but was met with an immense pain. I laid back against a tree root as the activities of yesterday replayed in my mind. Everything made sense, except for the part right before I blacked out. I surveyed my surroundings. Whoever saved me laid me down on a blanket under this tree, using the same blanket Alex put in my pack. I must have been out of it through the night, because whoever saved me built a fire; now a pile of burnt sticks. I tried to get up again, this time much slower. I must have a few broken ribs. Now that I'm sitting up I'm able to see a little better. My pack is three feet away from me; open, its contents visible. There are two medical kits lying next to it. Both are open and almost empty. That's when I notice something tight around my ribs. I put my hand under my shirt and found that someone wrapped my rib cage. The two bullet wounds on my arm have also been wrapped. I have a bandage across my left cheek bone and another one on the right side of my head, close to my hair line.

Someone fixed me up really well. And they even re-bandaged the cut, on my right arm, Bellamy had bandaged. Which reminds me, I need to find the others. Except… I don't know where I am. I used to tree as a brace to help me stand up. I walked around the tree very slowly, my hand never leaving it. But I stopped half way around the tree because I was overwhelmed by what I saw. All of the men that were chasing me are now lying dead in the middle of the woods. Okay, what happened? I continued around the tree and then stopped at my pack. Two medical kits. My pack only had one in it. My thoughts were broken by the sound of my name. I looked up from the ground and saw Caleb, holding a shotgun. He looked like he had been checking the perimeter. A look of relief flooded his face. He looked away as he exhaled and then started walking toward me. What is he doing all the way out here? The last I saw him was when he and Adonis left on some secret mission. He dropped his gun by the fire as he approached. For some reason, it brought tears to my eyes knowing that he wasn't dead and that he was okay. He wrapped his arms around me, hugging me without any amount of squeezing. We stood there in each other's embrace. When we finally broke apart, his concerned eyes scanned my face.

"It was you," I swallowed. "You saved me."

"Well… I had a little help." He replied. He helped me sit back down and then began telling me what happened. Caleb and Adonis had gone to investigate a rumor they'd heard about leftover food from before the nuclear war; some kind of food storage or something like that. They found the rumor to be true and then started making plans to get it all out. They loaded all of the food into something called a Helicopter. The plan is for them to fly over the Ark, dropping food as they go. Then they ran into some Mountain Men who claimed to be on our side. The men were going to help them leave when they heard on the radio that a team was sent after us. So instead of meeting up with everyone else, they came to help us. Apparently Adonis went with Bellamy's group and Caleb stayed to help me. The 'good' Mountain Men fought the 'bad' ones until all were dead.

"Right now they're keeping an eye out for any more Mountain Men."

"And you trust them?" I asked.

"No." Good. If he'd said yes I would've had to slap him. But it looks like someone already did. He had a bruise on his jaw and another one on his right cheek. "But, besides who their leader was they haven't given me a reason not to."

"Sounds like you're starting to think the way I do," I told him. "Nice plan by the way." He gave me a questioning look.

"Which one?"

"The one where you saved me. Then sent the others away, giving them something to do so they weren't hanging out around me; because if they tried something, you wouldn't have been able to stop them all by yourself and protect me at the same time. I thought you're enemies were supposed to be closer than your friends." He smiled.

"You really do have it all figured out, don't you?" he replied. "Besides… Who said we were friends?" He only acted like he was serious for about two seconds before he chuckled.

"I would laugh at you but I don't really feel like it, at the moment." I let that hang out there for a second before adding, "But seriously, Caleb." I looked straight at him, my eyes locking onto his. "Thank you. For everything. I'd be dead if it weren't for you."

"Anytime, Cara." He stood. "But don't sweet it; I'd always save you." He walked away with his rifle, leaving me speechless. 'I'd always save you'. Butterflies rose in my stomach as I thought of his words. I'm not completely sure as to why that always happens when I'm around him, but I don't care to know why. Every part of me is screaming for more. Every time I see him I release a breath I didn't know I was holding; the words that pass through his lips make me more nervous than I've ever been; and his skin on mine, my hand in his, is something that words couldn't even begin to explain. Eight years ago, after I learned of what Anya had done to my mom, every emotion that wasn't going to help me survive, I locked away. For eight years I've felt nothing but loss and pain and anger and betrayal; refusing to feel nothing but, for the chance that it could get me killed was too high. It's always been brain over heart. But ever since I met him… that's changed. And that scares me; following something I can't control, something that could get me killed. Which is really weird because being afraid of dying, isn't me. But things have changed, I've changed. He's changed me. Which is something Lincoln spent a lot of time trying to do. I'm tired of being alone. Let's face it, after all of this is over Jade and I will go our separate ways and Adonis and Alex probably will, too. Then I'll be alone. Again. Ugh, I don't know what to do.

I sat at the base of the tree for about twenty minutes, thinking about my dilemma as the woods slowly got darker. A twig snapped, startling me, followed by the click of a gun. Though injured, I was about to react when a few short words stopped me, "Don't even think about it." That is a voice I love to hate.

"Anya." I gritted my teeth. Something about that name leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. "Thought you'd be running back to daddy." There I go with my big mouth. She flipped the gun around in her hands and then hit me across the face with it. I fell to the side, landing on my injured arm. Again. Come on, Yachara. You'd like to see tomorrow, remember? "Well that was unexpected." Not really. I rolled onto my back and then wiped the blood from my cheek. "What do you want?" She starred at me for a minute.

"I'm just trying to figure out why it is that he wants you alive, so much." It can't be because of my good looks, can it? The 'he' in question here is Jacobsen. And I've been asking myself the same thing. But I think I know the answer and she's not going to like it. So do I lie or tell the truth? Right about now, any lie I come up with will be just as bad as the truth. But right now my life depends on whether or not she knows how to use that gun.

"Yeah, so have I." I wasn't concentrating on the tone of my voice, but instead trying to control my breathing. If I don't I'll feel like my chest will explode. I swallowed hard. "Maybe it's because he thought I was all that was left of my mother." It's a very good guess. But how am I supposed to know?

"How dare you continue to treat me like this." She hissed, "I took you in when you had nothing."

"Because you took everything from me!" I yelled. Adrenaline pumped through my veins as I stood, oblivious to the pain over taking my body. She quickly turned the gun around in her hands and pointed it at me. I took a couple steps forward. "You took me from my mother seconds before you killed her, then you separated me from my sister with the intent on killing her! Then as soon as I found out what you did, you tried to kill me and have been hunting me down ever since! Now here you stand, a gun in **your** hands, accusing **me** of mistreating **you**!" I wanted to keep going, but my body had had enough. My hand flew to my chest as I winced, my knees buckling beneath me. My knees slammed into the ground as my right arm shot forward, preventing me from falling any further. I wanted to take rapid, deep breaths but the pain was too great. My face was burning up and my head was pounding. All of it distracted me from her and what she was doing. But no matter how hard I tried, concentrating on her wasn't an option. Until something hard slammed into my side, shoving me into the tree. This time I heard and felt it; something broke inside of me when she kicked me. She pointed the gun at me again.

"Get up." Are you serious lady? You just kicked me when I was down, and now you want me to get up? I rolled my eyes and did as she said, even though it took five minutes. I was on my feet, gripping the tree, fearing if I let go I'd fall again. This is one of those times I wish I'd just pass out already. "I don't care what Daniel says, you are keeping me from a happy life. I'm ending this now." Her finger was pushing down on the trigger as something knocked her to the side. If the bullet did hit me, I wouldn't know. I looked down at Anya on the ground. She wasn't alone. Caleb was on top of her, holding her down. A couple of Mountain Men approached them, guns drawn. Caleb got off of her as two men took over. He stood up, brushing off his clothes, "And that, is how you do that." He said it like he was giving a demonstration. I closed my eyes and continued taking small breaths. A second later I felt someone touch my elbow.

"Yachara." I opened my eyes and saw Caleb. I suddenly felt light headed and lost some of my grip on the tree. Caleb caught me and then stood me back up. "You need to rest." Worry took over his voice as his eyes scanned me.

"You, need to stop doing that before it becomes a habit." I breathed.

"What, saving you? Never." My eyes darted to his. There are only two reasons why people risk their lives for someone else; because they don't care whether they live or die, or because they are in love and would rather die themselves than see the other die. What is it like, to love someone so much you'd die for them? I never knew such a thing existed; until now.

"How is it you always seem to know when I'm in danger?" Everything around me has disappeared; the Mountain Men taking Anya away, the birds chirping, the wind blowing through the trees, the pain in my chest.

"Call it a hunch." He replied. He wanted me to lie down and rest. But I had other plans. I grabbed a fist full of his shirt and pulled him into me. I pressed my lips to his before he could protest. His shoulders loosened as he gave in. Goose bumps rose on my arms as my heart beat faster. Caleb had one hand resting on my hip, keeping me up, and the other he pushed into the tree above my head. Sure, we've kissed before. But for me, it didn't mean anything. But this… this is real; something I never want to stop. The energy between us is the only thing keeping me standing. My grip on his shirt tightened and I pulled him closer. His chest bumped mine, sending a bolt of pain through my body. Reality came back faster than I thought it could.

"Ow." I winced as I pulled away.

"Are you okay?"

"Is this a trick question?" I was serious, but he didn't see it that way. He chuckled and then put an arm around my legs. He swept me off my feet in one quick move. Then he slowly got down on one knee and laid me down on the blanket.

"I hope you know I'll be watching to make sure you don't stop breathing."

"Welcome to the world without MHP." I replied. My eyes followed him as he walked around our camp. He gave the men orders I couldn't hear and then gathered wood. Just before night took over, he started the fire. I could see three more in the distance. Most likely from the men. He'd check on me every once in awhile, like he said. After we ate, he came over and laid down next to me. We used the top of the tent in my pack as a blanket. It didn't work as well, but it helped keep in some body heat. We laid there for an hour, Caleb determined to not fall asleep before I did. And eventually, sleep took over both of us; as I thought of my love for him.


	15. Chapter 30: The Kill Order

Chapter 30:

After we woke up, Caleb and I spent the next twenty minutes arguing over when we were going to leave. In the end he won, which meant that I had to 'rest' until about midday. But it could've been worse; in the beginning he didn't want to leave for a few days. But the longer we wait, the more everyone is going to worry. Besides, the faster I can get away from Anya the better. Caleb had ten guys watching her, rotating as needed, throughout the night. I would've had all of them watching her, but someone had to look out for Mountain Men. We started walking, roughly, at three o'clock. Caleb refused to let me carry my own pack and then changed the subject, tell the men to walk ahead of us. It doesn't matter if they're ahead or behind us, if they wanted to take us, they could. I spoke with the leader, Jones, a while before we left. And I'm not sure what to think. I've also spoken with several of the men, each giving me a different background for Jones. But according to them, what Jones told me was true; most of the men are either orphans or Jacobsen made them that way. Apparently, these are the only men that don't agree with Jacobsen. After an hour of walking, one of the men fell back from the rest of the group. He then started walking next to us.

"I'm supposed to ask how much longer you'd like to go before we brake." He informed me. At first I thought he was talking to Caleb, and then I noticed him staring at me.

"Um…" For the most part I'm okay, it's just the whole broken ribs, hurts when I breathe thing. "I'll be okay for another hour." That was probably a lie. He nodded and then hollered to the front. "If you don't mind me asking, how old are you?" He looked at me.

"I'm eighteen." He replied. Here I thought he was in his twenty's.

"What's your name?" The words left my mouth just as I felt Caleb squeeze my hand. I didn't look at him because I already know what he wants; to remind me of the danger of sharing too much information. But it really shouldn't matter, since we're taking them to our camp and all.

"Kyle Jones." He said it with pride; unlike how Alex says what his last name is. That shouldn't have surprised me, since Jacobsen's kids are Mountain Men. "And yes, Jones is my father."

"Are you an only child?"

"Yeah… I am now." The look he gave proved what I was thinking; somewhere along the line, Kyle's brother or sister died. Maybe that's what drove Jones to turn against my father. I was going to say something but someone called for him. His father. Jones must be keeping him on a short leash. When the second hour arrived and we stopped for a break, I took a look around the woods and knew exactly where we were. Lincoln's cave is about twenty feet away from us. Caleb handed me a bottle of water. "Do you know where we are yet?"

"Yeah. We're about five miles out. Shouldn't be more than another two hours." I said it like it was nothing. He smiled and then draped his arm across my shoulders, pulling me a little closer to him before kissing me on the forehead. Forty-five minutes later we started walking again. And just like I thought, during our break Jones wouldn't let Kyle out of his sight. It makes sense though, lose one and then become over protective of the other. But there's just something about Jones, I can't put my finger on it; but whatever it is, I don't like it. We kept walking without any stops. At this point, I'm tired and in pain. But we've only got about two miles left. Caleb kept asking me if I was fine and I'd take everything into consideration before answering. If I stopped I wasn't sure I'd be able to start going again, so I'd tell him yes. About twenty minutes out, he started seeing through my lies.

"We're almost there. I'm fine," At this point, every word sounded like it hurt. He glared at me.

"Fine. But next time, promise me that you won't lie to me about stuff like this." He's not mad at me. Just concerned and annoyed; two things that seem to always be together. I agreed, and not just to shut him up. I mean it. Maybe, we'll see. If I could describe myself in one word I'd be: stubborn. Or: driven, you pick. The sun was almost fully set when I saw the first camp fire. We'd just past my tree house tree, when I noticed the wall they're building. It looks like they only just started. All of the men seemed shocked by the amount of people here. I wasn't. I mean, really? They had a city in the sky. Several fires were set up, people from each one walking away from it and toward us. Alex, Adonis, and Lincoln were the first to great us. Alex came up to me and hugged me, of course unaware of my injuries. I tried not to, but ended up letting out a small cry. Not too loud, but enough to let him now I was hurt. "It's not you." I managed to say. Jade, Bellamy, and the others come over to great us. "I had a little run in with the Mountain Men." I brushed it off like it was nothing, as my eyes met Bellamy's. It was like he knew everything that happened. But most importantly he looked like he was saying sorry.

"Are you okay?" Jade sounded annoyed that I'm not telling them everything that happened. Her eyes scanned my body, looking over every cut and bruise. So was Bellamy.

"I was hit by two bullets, I have several broken and or cracked ribs, and was used as a human punching bag for about ten minutes." They stared at me with blank faces. "Oh, and we found Anya. Or more like she found me… and then hit me with her gun." I trailed off as I glanced at everyone's faces.

"And after all of that, you walked here?" Clarke asked.

"Yeah." I said it like she should've known that. "I mean it was only a four hour walk." Lincoln and Caleb rolled their eyes. It was taking more and more effort to get the words out.

"It sounds like you need to rest." Alex said. Everyone had the same look of concern on their face. Alex and Caleb got me set up with a sleeping bag bed, under a tree about fifteen feet away from everyone else. I didn't end up falling asleep until after everyone else had, around one in the morning. Something nudged my arm and then again a second later. I opened my eyes and saw Adonis. "What do you want?"

"Well good morning to you, too." He replied. I know I've heard him mad before, but this was a whole new level. "I wouldn't ask if we didn't need you, but we do."

"Why? What happened?"

"You need to see for yourself." Adonis helped me stand and then led me across camp. It's still pretty early, probably about six. Most of the people are still sleeping. We walked up to a tent on the far side of camp, near the border, and unzipped it. Adonis motioned for me to go in, so I did. Inside of the tent were Abby, Kane, Lincoln, Jade, Bellamy, Octavia, and Clarke, all standing around something in the center of the tent. On the floor was a body, ripped and mangled. It was a boy and that's about all I could make out. Whoever did this wanted to make a statement… and has a lot of anger issues. "What is going on?"

"Sorry for the rude awakening, but we'd like to keep this on a need to know basis." Kane informed me.

"Of course you do." Bellamy muttered. I can tell right now that this is going to be fun.

"Well if you don't open that door soon, someone else might die." Octavia pulled her nose.

"So who was the lucky winner that found him?" I asked.

"I was." Bellamy replied. "Adonis and I were switching out guards."

"So…?" I looked at Kane, "What do you want me to say? The guy's dead."

"Yes, I'm aware of that." He put his hands behind his back. "I'd like you, Jade, and Lincoln to find who did this. I don't care what you have to do. We need to know if this was revenge or a warning."

"If it was a warning, why would they come inside of a tent to kill someone? Why not out in the open?" Clarke asked. I found Lincoln across the room, the same look on his face as mine. So, it's a revenge killing **and** a warning.

"Because they're showing us our weak spots." Jade chimed in before I could. "Who is this guy, anyway?"

"His name was Jon Dough," Kane replied.

"Really?" Octavia suddenly became interested.

"Yes. He had no family or friends. On the Ark he was arrested for drug dealing." So he was one of the hundred. The fact that he was alone made him a target. But you'd have to have been on the Ark to have known that. I don't think the killer picked him by accident. Everything was kept quiet, like Kane said. Lincoln and Jade determined that Dough was killed with a mixture of knives and bare hands. But it was the strangling that did him in. Meaning the killer tortured a dead body. Otherwise, everyone would know.

It's been three days since the first killing. And yes, I said first. Every night another one dies. Some are just stranglings and others are like the first. But this last one was decapitated.

"Whatever we're going to do, we need to do it now." Finn said. We're inside my tree house, the only quiet place around. But he's right; the people are panicking. Two nights ago, we ordered the soldiers to keep watch through the night. All thirty-three of them plus Lincoln, Jade, Adonis, Caleb, and Bellamy. Yet somehow, he still got another one. The only way we can meet to talk is at my tree house after midnight. People are already going crazy, we don't need them finding out that we have no idea what to do. I looked around at the others; our original group plus Raven, Alex, Caleb, and Jones.

"What if we tried baiting him?" Clarke suggested.

"I don't think this guy is stupid enough to fall for it." Jade replied. You could see to toll this was taking, written on everyone's faces. And to make matters worse, Jade and Bellamy have been at each other's throats. Raven then informed me about the arguments they had while I was gone. Both Bellamy and Lincoln don't want Octavia to be a part of this, but she refuses to leave. Kane and Bellamy got into a fist fight yesterday, which only made matters worse. Alex and Caleb are both mad at me because I won't stay out of it and go rest. People are dying! I'm not going to stay out of it. And to top it off, nobody trusts Jones and his men. Which I don't blame them, but they've been very helpful. "We've tried everything that we can with what we have."

"The wall will be done in another day or two. So that should help, if it's an outside attack." Bellamy said.

"Okay, we need to look for a pattern." I said, "There has got to be something that links the victims."

"You mean besides the fact that he strangles them and carves an X into their chest?" Raven said it without any sarcasm. The X was something he started with the second victim. All of them have been males, except for last night he killed a young woman; someone Clarke knew on the Ark, but wasn't good friends with. He's killed both from the Ark and the hundred, men and women.

"This guy is all over the place." Kane said.

"Yes, but think about it." I told them, "The first guy, no one knew. The second, four people knew. The third, several people knew. This last one a lot of people knew. This guy is testing the waters, seeing how close he can get until we catch him."

"Close to what?" Octavia asked.

"Us. He's crossing them out, one-by-one, until he gets to the people who really matter to him." I replied.

"She's right." Lincoln said. "These deaths are fast and full of rage."

"Yet he's able to control his anger so he doesn't lose total control." Jade added. "He's saving that for us, or at least one of us."

"So then why bother killing people he doesn't want to kill?" Alex asked.

"Because," I replied, "Whoever this guy is, he wants to watch us squirm."


	16. Chapter 32: Murphy Killings

Chapter 32:

I don't know why I'm freaking out so much; my heart racing. To be honest, I didn't even know I had any feelings for Adonis at all. But right now, something inside of me is screaming 'no, he can't die'. I paced the inside of the Ark, trying to think of something useful I could be doing; besides undoing all of the healing my ribs have done the last eleven days. We closed the door, locking us inside. Thankfully it's freezing out side; people are too busy trying to keep warm in their sleeping bags, to pay any attention to us. And thankfully, Bellamy found Adonis in time. Adonis was sleeping under a tree by the edge of camp, near the nearly built wall, when someone attacked him. But Adonis is a lot stronger than the other victims, and the killer didn't know that. I'm thinking what happened is the killer attacked, Adonis fought back until the killer heard Bellamy approaching, and then he ran away. Clarke and Abby are franticly trying to stop the bleeding.

After Bellamy found him, he ran and got me, Lincoln, and Alex. Bellamy and Lincoln left, trying to track down the killer. I tried to stop some of the bleeding, while Alex left to get Caleb. Then Alex and Caleb got Adonis to the Ark while I got Clarke and Abby. There's so much blood, it's hard to tell where it's all coming from. But after I'd taken of my shirt and placed it on his chest, I noticed a red ring and bruising around his neck. So how could one guy fight off Adonis while strangling and stabbing him?

"He's losing too much blood," I heard Abby mutter as she filled a vial full of something.

"I know. But we can stop it, right?" Clarke's voice was more of a statement than a question. Her hands are firmly placed on a towel on Adonis's chest; her knuckles turning white. Abby never replied; too busy thinking of how she was going to save him, with what she had. Adonis had the beginnings of an X carved into his chest, alone with two stab wounds to the abdomen; which he probably got during the struggle. He moaned again; in and out of it the whole time. After we'd gotten Adonis in here, I made Alex leave. His hands and shirt were covered in blood, his face looked more panicked than I've ever seen it, and his whole body was shaking. "Yachara, I can't lose him." That's what he told me right before Octavia led him away. He's probably freaking out a lot more than I am, but I still have something to lose. Adonis is my brother too; whether I like it or not, I care if the moron lives or dies. I can hear Abby and Clarke talking in the background of my thought process. "Jade!" I said, "Can't Jade help?!" I can't believe no one thought of this sooner.

"Yes!" Abby replied without hesitation. I ran out of the Ark and to the wall, where the others were gathered. Someone told me to slow down, but I didn't stop until I was there.

"How is he?" Alex asked the question everyone wanted the answer too. But I didn't reply. Instead I looked at Jade.

"Get in there, now." I said it with as much voice as I could, but running over here sucked a lot of that out. Before I was done speaking she was headed in that direction. I watched her enter the Ark and then turned back toward the others. "I don't know." I finally replied, to Alex. He put his hands on his head as he turned around and took a few steps. Caleb gave me a look, asking if I was okay. I nodded, and then he walked over to Alex. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lincoln and Bellamy enter the camp. They headed straight for us, and didn't look too happy. He got away. No one had to ask, because we already knew.

"How is he?" Bellamy asked me. I shrugged my shoulders. He got that same look on his face, the one he had after he'd seen what was left of the victims. I looked down and realized I was covered in blood. "Well he better make it," he continued. And I thought he really meant it… until, "Without his description of the killer, we're all dead."

"Bell!" I didn't think Octavia could sound that mad. He didn't glance in her direction, instead he just continued to stare at me; waiting for my reaction. I could almost feel the steam coming off of my skin, which I didn't think was possible considering how cold it is. "We need to talk." I tried to keep my voice as level and calm as possible, as I grabbed his arm and started pulling him away from the others. I pulled him about forty feet before he yanked his arm out of my grip. "You couldn't have waited to be a jerk until you were away from Alex, you had to do it right there in front of him?"

"Well it's true. Without him, we're all dead." He replied.

"Yes, because right now we all want to know why Adonis is needed and not wanted." I raised my voice a little. "Think, for once. What if it was Octavia who'd been attacked? You would kill anyone who dared to say anything like that about her. But since it's my sibling, and not yours, it doesn't matter." His icy, I should shut up, stare isn't helping anything. "Now I can properly understand why Jade hates you so much."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what I said. You're too caught up in your anger and your own moronic way of doing things that you don't think of others. At all. Before or after you speak."

"I could've left Adonis for dead and just ran after the killer! But I didn't!" Now he was yelling. "I don't think of myself! I can't afford that luxury!" Over Bellamy's shoulder, I saw Caleb start to walk this way. I quickly put up my hand, telling him to stop, and he did. "Everything I have done has been to protect someone else!" I'm sure I could find someone to disagree with that statement.

"Who are you protecting?" I asked calmly, as if I didn't just get yelled at for a minute and a half. His shoulders relaxed and his gaze left mine, alone with his anger toward me. "Fine. Don't answer. But I hope you know that I was already planning on thanking you for what you did for Adonis." He looked back at me, an almost sad look on his face. "Everyone will agree that helping Adonis, instead of leaving him, was what a normal person would've done." I put my hand on my chest and then leaned against the wall. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to stand here while I wait for my chest to stop… burning." The last few words I said came out sounding very painful. I really shouldn't have gotten myself all worked up; because now I'm paying for it. There's a real burning, aching feeling coming from my ribs, making it harder to breath. Bellamy just kind of hung around me for a few seconds, with a sympathetic look on his face.

"Do you want me to apologies?" His tone was even and sincere. "To Alex?" And men think women are hard to figure out. I had to stop and think of all the ways this could go wrong. But it sounds like he means it.

"Uh…" He smiled. "I guess. Yes. If you could bring yourself to do it." The last part I said in a playful tone of voice. He nodded and then started walking back toward the group. I could see Alex reply and then a second later Bellamy was walking away. Everyone started talking amongst themselves, exchanging weird looks.

"How did you get him to do that?" Caleb was walking up to me, with his hands in his pockets.

"Don't ask. Come on, we need to check on Adonis." I said. We stepped inside the Ark; the smell of blood was overwhelming.

"Just the person I wanted to see," Abby walked up to us, relief written all over her face. "We managed to stop the bleeding and stitch up his wounds. For now he's okay, but he lost a lot of blood. If he makes it through the day, then he'll be okay." I felt as relived as she looked. I closed my eyes and let out a breath. "Thank you, you guys. You all did an amazing job." I hugged both Abby and Clarke. Jade looked irritated at the thought, so I decided to pass on her.

"Why don't you guys go get cleaned up, and I'll stay here with Adonis?" Caleb must not have liked the look on my face, because he added, "Go on, he'll be fine." On our way out, we opened the door as wide as we could to help get the air flowing. Clarke and Abby went to go tell the others while Jade and I headed to the lake. We washed the blood off in silence; something was obviously occupying Jade's mind, and I don't think it was Adonis. She's probably fixed up worse injuries than that, over the years. But I know that look because I've had it for a long time. She's running all of the 'whys' through her head; why is this happening? Am I to blame? Did they all die because of me? And the golden question, why is Bellamy being such a jerk to me? But I think the question that is really bothering her, is how come this guy of hers is just now getting revenge? "It's a two person team." I said. "Isn't it?" She nodded without looking up.

"I'd have to be. There's no way Atatika could strangle someone like that, by himself." She kept her gaze at her shirt, as she dunked it up and down in the water.

"Why?"

"Because he's only right handed." What does that have to do with it? I'm right handed and I can strangle people just… Oooooooh. Okay, now I get it. "He's only got a right hand." I said. "I take it… you had something to do with it…?" She nodded.

"In a roundabout way, yes I did." She replied. We finished up and then headed to her tent. I brought in my sleeping bag and then we got inside of them. It was hard to fall asleep, until our body heat filled our bags. Once we were warmed up, we both fell asleep. We ended up sleeping for about four hours. Now the sun is fully up, and so is the rest of the camp. Kane felt the need to bring the entire camp up to date… on everything. He was halfway through his speech, when Caleb and Lincoln had to hold back Bellamy, whom wanted to kill Kane. But only Jade and I know that it's a team, so Kane's not really hurting anything. Abby found me a couple hours later. She told me that they found an arrow head imbedded in Adonis's abdomen. But only the head. The body of the arrow had been broken off. The other thing was that Adonis's knife was missing. He always kept it in a sheath on his belt. Caleb's on guard duty; watching Jade, and she's watching Adonis with Alex. So Bellamy and I went back to the scene of the crime, to look for the knife.

"We've been looking for the last hour and a half," I could tell he was trying to sound calm, but his irritation bubbled through anyway. "I think it's safe to say, it's not here."

"Meaning that he stabbed one of them." I said.

"Or they took it. And what do you mean 'one of them'?" I told him everything Jade and I talked about at the lake. Knowing who one of the killers is is only half the battle. The real question is who is the other guy?

"It's got to be someone on the inside."

"In which case, Kane just told him we know nothing."

"Which might be a good thing." I said, "Besides, for all we know it could be another Reaper, or a Grounder. Even one of the hundred could be the other killer." Just as the words left my mouth, a loud scream rang out behind me. I turned around and looked for the source. Then, another scream. A girl. Everyone started talking and looking around. Then a small crowd started forming by the side of the Ark. Bellamy and I ran to the crowd, then pushed our way to the front. We both stopped dead in our tracks, speechless. The killers had taken another victim. Their stepping up their game; not only is it the middle of the day, but the level of importance that the victim has has risen. We don't need to wait for someone to ID her, because we all know. Victim number thirteen: Abigail Griffin. My heart sank. Clarke was crying next to Abby. I took a few steps closer and then crouched down. Abby's throat was slit and she was stabbed multiple times; at the least, thirty. I know they killed her because she's an important part of our group, but how could they? I mean she did nothing wrong, nothing to the killers. Or did she? Abby was a doctor on the Ark, there could be a lot of people mad at her. But mad enough to kill? I felt a tap on my shoulder and jumped. I turned to see Jade.

"Adonis is awake." She said it as if she didn't notice the dead body. "I know, bad timing. But Adonis thinks he could identify the other killer." I followed Jade into the Ark, closing the door behind us. Adonis was still lying down where I left him, a few hours ago. Jasper was sitting next to his bed, holding a small screen up to Adonis. "They've been running through photos from the Ark." She explained. "So pray one of them is our guy." She turned around and walked back outside, closing the door behind her. I sat down on the floor, next to Adonis's bed. I sat and watched as Jasper flipped through photos, waiting for Adonis's say so before he did. I found a spot on the wall and then just kind of zoned out. Why did they kill Abby? If it was a grudge, then wouldn't they have killed her first? But when you think about it, it does make sense to kill her; she's the head doctor. And this Atatika guy is after Jade, our other best doctor. What if the grudge wasn't against Abby, but Clarke? The only family she had was Abby. That's something only someone from the Ark would know. The door swung open, breaking my train of thought. Jade stood in the door way, breathing hard. She had an all most panicked look on her face, which was quickly replaced with a look of anger.

"Please tell me you know who he is." She said.

"We still have two hundred more photos." Jasper replied.

"Wait, go back." Adonis told him. Jasper ran his finger across the screen, turning it back to the last picture. "That's him. I don't think I could forget that ugly face." Jasper's face went pale.

"Are you sure?" Jade asked.

"Jasper, who is he?" I stood as he did. Behind Jade I just barely saw Bellamy enter; he blended in with the pitch black outside. Wow, we've been in here a long time. But Bellamy wasn't happy. In fact he was far from it; like ready to rip someone's head off. "What happened?"

"They took Octavia." He replied. I was speechless. Why do they want her?

"Bellamy… you need to see this." Jasper walked up to him and handed him the device. He looked down at it and immediately closed his eyes and almost growled.

"Who is it?" Jade asked.

"Murphy."


	17. Chapter 34: Killing Murphy

Chapter 34:

I just talked to Bellamy about this, this morning. I can understand him being mad. I mean, come on; they took his sister. And if Murphy is as bad as everyone says, who knows what they could be doing to her. A nice thick layer of awkward rushed into the room as soon as Jade left. And by the looks on everyone's faces, they all felt it. The only question is who is going to be the brave soul that opens their mouth first? The answer, me. I turned to Bellamy, arms crossed and a scowl on my face. "Can I please have a word with you?" You could tell by my tone how badly I wanted to lay into him. The words almost came out through gritted teeth. Only his eyes looked at me. He knows he messed up. It's written all over his face. He immediately headed for the door, as if he could read my mind. I followed him out the door and then we walked to the side of the Ark, the one opposite from where Abby was killed. "We both know they took Octavia because of you; because Murphy wants revenge. And the only reason Atatika teamed up with him was so that he could get his hands on Jade. Now we just have to find out where their hide out is."

"You're not going to yell at me again?" He sounded surprised.

"Well, I can, if that's what you want. But I'm pretty sure you're doing enough of it for the both of us." I replied. He started searching for something else to stare at, besides me. "That's what I thought. Maybe someday you'll tell me why you seem to hate her so much. But as for right now, we need to find their hide out. And with Lincoln gone, rescuing Octavia is going to be a little bit more challenging."

"And now, Jade is MIA."

"Yes, thank you." A part of me wants him to feel bad, but that's just not me. "But she's not MIA, whatever that means. She's going after them."

"How do you know that?"

"Because she's mad, hurt, alone, sad, probably doubting herself a bit. I know from experience, that combination only brings more hurt and stupid actions." I said, "Also it's what I would do. And we're a lot alike, in some ways. Now, the only places I know of are Lincoln's cave and-" My face dropped and I closed my eyes. If I'm right… we might all be dead. "We left it unlocked"

"What?" My expression worried him.

"My tree house. Bellamy, we left it unlocked. They've been watching us, I'm sure they know about it."

"Why but what can they do to it?"

"You obviously don't know exactly how many weapons I have stashed in there." He was remembering my stash as I spoke, the same look on my face now over taking his. "You ready to start another bloody war?" Then we both froze as the sound of an explosion rang threw our ears. We ran out in front of the Ark and looked out at the wall. Beyond the wall, a large pillar of black smoke and fire erupted out of the trees. The fire disappeared as fast as it appeared, but the smoke remained; hovering in the same area as my tree house. My head snapped to the side as I heard someone call my name. Caleb was motioning for me to follow him, Alex, and Raven. I hit Bellamy's arm with the back of my hand and then followed them. Bellamy and I followed them up a ladder and then up on top of the Ark.

"That must be a really big camp fire." Raven said sarcastically, as we looked at the smoke.

"That's not a camp fire." Caleb said as he removed a pair of binoculars from his face.

"Your right, it's not. That's a grenade blast." I glanced at the others, taking in the looks they possessed. "Someone was either really stupid… or they were calling for help." It's gotta be from Jade. Octavia couldn't possibly fight off two guys and live to tell about it. Or Jade distracted them long enough for Octavia to get our attention. Either way, I have a really bad feeling about this. I walked to the corner of the roof and then glanced at the others. I whistled, trying to mimic the same tone Jade uses. Ten seconds past, and nothing. I whistled again. Then I see Dakota running toward the Ark. He trotted up to the edge and then stopped at the base of the ladder. "What are you doing?" Alex asked me. I turned to Bellamy, ignoring Alex. "You coming?" I asked. He reached behind him and pulled out his gun. After he made sure the clip was full, he slid it back into place and then nodded. He shouted a few orders at the others as we slid down the ladder. After a few seconds of trying to convince him, Dakota finally lets us get on him. I kicked him forward and before I knew it, we were galloping out of camp. Thankfully my tree house is only a mile or two away from camp. I really don't know what we're going to do; all I know is that I need to follow my gut, on this one. I forced Dakota to stop a few trees away from my tree house. We both got off and then looked at our surroundings. "Okay, wait here. I'll be right back." His hand grabbed my arm, stopping me.

"Are you crazy?" he asked.

"Yeah." I said it as if he should've already known. "I'm just going to check things out." He reluctantly let go. I stayed in the bushes and shadows, as I made my way to the tree. As soon as I saw the tree house, I stopped dead in my tracks. Don't tell me that's what I think it is. On the floor at the base of the tree, someone lays on the ground. Oh my goodness… please don't be dead. I cautiously approached the body, stepping out of the moon light. Oh, boy. It's Jade. I quickly pulled her closer to the trunk, so no one could see us. I put my fingers on her neck. She's alive; barely. I ran my hands across her body, using them to see in the dark. I felt blood on her shoulder and… her stomach. Blood is gushing out like a fountain. I instantly switched into survival mode. I pulled out my knife and then cut the sleeves off of my long sleeved shirt. I held the knife in my mouth as I stuffed the whole in her stomach with my sleeve. I packed it as good as I could and then did the same to her shoulder. I put my knife back and then began working her up onto my back. Once I was sure she was secure, I stood. Then I quickly and quietly made my way back to Bellamy, trying to ignore my unhealed ribs.

"What happened?" He asked as I laid Jade down.

"Like I know." I replied. He looked at her wounds and seemed to have frozen. He was staring at her, motionless. "Bellamy." He didn't move. I walked up to him and then nudged him, "Bellamy." This time he looked at me. Now all of the pieces are falling into place. "If we're going to save her life, we need to move." Bellamy picked up Jade and then turned toward the horse. Dakota was lying on the ground, waiting for us. I helped Bellamy into the saddle, still holding Jade, and then made sure he didn't fall off when Dakota stood. "Get her to Clarke and then wait for my signal."

"How are you going to-"

"I have my ways." I interrupted. "Now go." I slapped the horses butt and he took off toward camp. Now it's just me, a room full of every weapon you can imagine, and two maniacs. Great. The old Yachara would've loved these odds. But in order for me to stay alive, maybe I'll have to pretend I'm her. Does this mean every time I have to fight someone, I have to turn into the old me first? Maybe I do. But someday, fighting will be a thing of the past. I ran around to the back of the tree house tree. I turned my back to it and then took ten steps forward. Then I bent down and brushed away the leaves and a small amount of dirt, revealing a green chest about three feet long, two wide, and the same deep. I opened the lid, letting the moon light shine on its contents; a brand new compound bow with a fifty pound pull. Or at least that's what the tag said. Just below it is my quiver; filled with thirty, two foot long, arrows with the meanest looking heads I have ever seen. No one can steal my home and get away alive. I put the quiver on my back, along with the bow and then turned toward the tree. I walked around to the front and then started climbing; since the morons cut the ladder. Once I was up on the branch, I walked over to the panels next to the door. I used my knife to pop on off and then quietly leaned it against the wall. I moved the wires around until I found the one for the door. I pulled out my knife and was about to cut it, when I froze. If I open the door, they can escape. So why not lock them in? I dropped the wire in my hand and got a different one. I didn't hesitate to cut it. Then I cut an orange and black one; locking the door for good, so pushing it open isn't an option.

Then I walked to a metal ladder on the side and climbed it. Now I know how Jade got in. A panel on the roof has been duct taped shut, and probably, wired with explosives on the other side. I stood in the center of the roof and then looked toward camp. Then I took my bow off, gently laying it on the roof, and pulled a piece of paper out of my pocket along with a pen. I wrote on it what I'd done and what I planned to do. Then I pulled an arrow out of my quiver. I shoved the arrow head through the paper and then stood up. Placing the arrow in the string, I looked toward camp. This is going to hurt; fifty pounds with busted ribs. Yeah, this better be worth it. I raised the bow and pulled back the string. Two miles is not that far, when you think about it. My goal is to, not kill anyone, and get the arrow in the Ark. I aimed, taking in distance and wind, and then I let go of the string. I quickly put the bow down, almost dropping it. Hopefully the arrow made it all the way to camp. I put the bow on my back and then started climbing to the very top; on level three. Once up there, I pulled out my knife and began popping up the sides of a panel. I set the panel to the side and then climbed inside. I'm in the fourth level; between level three and the roof. Crawling over a few cables, I made my way to a secret panel leading to the third floor. Once there I removed the panel, revealing a black grate that I could see through. The room looks empty and the door leading to level two is closed. So, I punched the grate and then quickly caught it before it fell to the ground. Alerting them of my presence is not a good idea, right now. I lowered myself to the ground and then looked at my surroundings. Now I'm on level three; the weapons room.

I walked over to my stash of weapons and began filling my empty sheaths with new knives. I took the bow off of my back and then stuffed a gun in my belt. I walked over to the door leading to level two, and stopped. I expected to hear something, anything. But all I hear is silence. They're either waiting for me, or they're on level one. I opened the door and decided to skip the latter. Jumping down the hole to the next level, as soon as my feet hit the ground I rolled forward, got to my knees, and drew my bow; an arrow ready to kill someone. It's empty. No one on level two, either. But now I can hear voices, so I know they haven't left. All three of them must be on the first level. My guess is that Jade stormed in, giving them the upper hand. So how do I not end up like my sister? Good question. Well, not underestimating people is a good start. I opened the door leading to the first floor as quickly as possible. I jumped in, just like last time. The only difference is that this time, my arrow was pointed at someone. Atatika, I'm assuming. But the one arm is kind of a dead giveaway. He's standing next to Murphy, shock written on both of their faces. I stood as I heard someone behind me. I took a very quick glance over my shoulder, and sure enough, it was Octavia. So I took five steps backwards towards her.

"Good luck," Murphy said. "The other girl couldn't stop us. But I'd like to see you try." He took a step forward, but Atatika held his arm out in front of Murphy, stopping him.

"I don't believe we've met. I'm Atatika." He said. "And you are?" He's trying to distract me. It might've worked had this jerk not just shot my sister.

"Not interested in playing any of your games." My voice was angry. The smile that was on his face is now gone. "I'm here for the sole purpose of killing you and rescuing Octavia. So now's your last chance to make your deaths a painless one." Silence filled the room. Murphy seemed to be the weak link in their revenge killing duo.

"Cute." Murphy said. "What, is Bellamy so afraid to show his face that he sends two helpless girl's, that don't know how to fight?" He's smack talking out of fear. Something I used to do.

"No. I came on my own. Mainly just to see that look of fear in your eyes." I replied. Murphy scowled at me.

"You do know that we just killed one of your friends right?"

"Yes, thank you for reminding me." I released the string, sending an arrow into Murphy's knee cap. All I heard was the arrow flying and then bone shattering. He fell to the ground as Atatika attempted to make his move. But as soon as the arrow left my bow, I put it at my left side, pulled a knife out of its sheath, and then threw it at Atatika. His body lurched to the left as the knife made contact with his shoulder. I pulled out another knife and threw it. But before it could break his skin, he caught it. He turned it around in his hand and then threw it back at me. The knife imbedded itself into my right shoulder, next to my collar bone. My hand flew to it and pulled it out. As I straightened, I let the knife fall behind me next to Octavia. Murphy didn't seem to be a threat, so I kept my gaze on Atatika; who lunged at me. I dodged him; causing him to slam into the wall. He turned around as I put an arrow in my bow. Before he could react, the arrow was in his chest, pinning him to the wall. He began to reach for it as if to pull it out, so I put three more in his chest. At that point, my shoulder had had enough. I dropped the bow and then put my hand on my wound. I looked at Octavia standing next to me. We turned around to find Murphy with a gun. He didn't look too happy. Using the ladder to hold him up, he didn't take his eyes off of us. A gunshot echoed through the room. Murphy screamed as the gun flew to the ground. Then someone jumped down from the second floor and began beating Murphy. Caleb climbed down the stairs and then had to tackle Bellamy to get him to stop beating Murphy to death. Murphy lay in a ball, coughing, and spitting blood. Caleb was holding back Bellamy as Alex and Jones came down the ladder.

"Let me go!" Bellamy ordered.

"Bellamy." Octavia's words made him freeze. Caleb released him and then he ran to his sister, hugging her. "I thought you were dead."

"I would be, if not for Yachara." She said. They both looked at me as Caleb rushed to my side. Bellamy looked around me and saw the other guy. He looked at me and nodded. I didn't expect him to say the words thank you, but a nod will do. Octavia said thank you and half hugged me, trying not to hurt me. Bellamy turned around and headed for Murphy again.

"Bellamy, wait!" I said. He looked at me. "After everything that's happened, all the death, people need someone to blame. And blaming someone that's alive is a lot easier than someone whose not."

"Murphy needs to die for what he did!"

"And he will. Just not right now." He huffed, clenched his fists and then punched a wall. Octavia started to walk toward him, but I pulled her back when I noticed he was about to do it again. Jones bound Murphy's hands and then led him out the main door, after Raven fixed it from the outside. Jones's men took care of the other guy, while Alex gave me a rag to press against me wound. Bellamy was still beating the wall when everyone was ready to go. I told the others to leave and stayed behind. I closed the door and turned to Bellamy. He was going back for his eighth punch and my wall wasn't looking so good. Silver and blood red are two colors that don't go good together. "Bellamy." He hit it again. I walked closer. "Bellamy." I said it a little louder. I was now standing right next to him. He pulled his arm back to punch again. I caught his fist with my left hand, stopping it inches from the wall. He looked at me as if he just realized I was standing there. "Bellamy, it's over. The bad guys are gone and Octavia is safe. I'd let you continue but I'm pretty sure you'd still like to be able to use this hand." He looked down at his clenched fist. His knuckles were covered in blood and some bone was visible. His wrist had a small bump on it, suggesting that he broke something. He put his arm at his side, turned around, and then slid down the wall. I huffed and then joined him.

"I thought that if I pushed her away, I could keep her safe. Had I killed Murphy when I had the chance none of this would've happened and she'd still be okay." He said.

"What do you mean, Octavia's fine?"

"Not her." Oh. He's talking about Jade. My sister and my brother were attacked in the same day, one of our doctors was killed, one of my friends was kidnapped, and now the tough guy is having a break down while I slowly bleed out. Do I even dare ask what else could go wrong? Bellamy looked at me with a sad look on his face, pleading with me with his eyes to say something. "I tried to push Alex away when I first met him, and now we're best friends; I shot Adonis to save your life, and he still wants to get to know me; I met Caleb and tried to trick myself into thinking I wasn't really in love with him."

"What's your point?"

"My point is, I was afraid to let them in because I didn't want to lose them. And I finally realized that I'd rather know them and have them die, than have them die and wish that I did." I replied. "Now, you can stay as long as you want, just as long as you don't punch anything else." I stood and then opened the door. "But I'm bleeding and my sister's dying. So if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to camp." I turned around and left. I got back to camp a half hour later, and I headed straight for the Ark. Inside, Alex was sitting down with a tube attached to his arm. He told me that he was donating blood for Clarke to give to Jade. It had something to do with them being related, but I wasn't listening. In the corner, some white cloth had been hung from the ceiling; dangling a couple inches off the ground. It formed a ten foot by ten foot room; Raven told me Jade was in. She also mentioned that Lincoln had gotten back not minutes after Bellamy arrived with Jade. They told him what happened to Jade, but left out the part about Octavia so he'd help save Jade instead. Lincoln came out of the white room and walked up to me. He began looking over my shoulder. "I'm fine. How is she?"

"I'm not sure she'll make it through the next hour." He replied grimly. "She lost a lot of blood, so Alex's will help greatly. Now what happened while I was gone?" I guess no one had the guts to tell him that his girl friend was abducted and that instead of telling him about it, they lied to him so he'd save this other girl. I stitched up my shoulder as I explained the day's events to him. There was still no change with Jade, when everyone started to force me to get some sleep. So I did. I slept until about five and then switched spots with Clarke, so she could sleep. Bellamy came into the Ark at about seven. I stitched up his hand and then he disappeared. But noon was the highlight of everyone's day. In the center of camp, Jones told everyone what Murphy had done and then let them decide how he should die. So they strapped Murphy to a post and then let each remaining member of the hundred take a shot at him, from forty feet away. After the first few shots, I left. I decided to get my mind off of things, by going to my tree house and cleaning up. Somehow my mind wondered to the Mountain Men and how they haven't attacked us yet. We still have Anya in our possession, but no one's come for her. So what are they planning? And can we survive what happens next?


	18. Chapter 36: The Note

Chapter 36:

Telling her they took Bellamy might've been a huge mistake; but it's not like I could keep it from her for long. I don't understand it. One second everything was fine, and then the next there was shooting and screaming. During the chaos, I stood on top of a create to try and see over the panicked crowed. I stopped counting Mountain Men at fifteen. But they've been planning this for a while. It was too fast and organized to be a spare of the moment thing. I should've known this would happen; that they would come. We should've been prepared for this. My eyes are trained on Jade, waiting for her reaction. She's feeling a lot of mixed emotions. So many she doesn't know which one to run with. "Jade," I sound winded, from all of the adrenaline coursing through my body. "You are still in no condition to be doing anything stupid right now. I know how much you want to go after him, but you can't. We need you here, alive and in one piece." She was staring at me, but I couldn't tell what she was thinking. "You know Bellamy, Jade. He'll be okay." She broke from my gaze and looked out over the panicked mass. A few seconds later, her head snapped back. "Are you okay?" she asked Caleb. We were both caught off guard. He glanced up at me and then answered.

"Yeah. One of the Mountain Men slammed me into the fence, cutting the back of my head." He replied. "I'm still not sure why he didn't kill me, though." A light bulb went off in Jade's and I's heads at the same time. It's really scary when we both have the same idea. She turned on her heal, walking away as fast as she could and then disappearing in the crowed. "You need to go after her."

"I will. But first I need to check on our prisoner."

"You mean the one that's probably gone?"

"That would be the one." I left Caleb and headed inside the Ark. Our mini hospital was trashed; the tables were knocked over and the boxes of things were empty on the floor. I looked around the room at the mess as Jasper got to his feet. "You okay?"

"I think so." He rubbed the back of his head. "They jumped us. Whatever they came for is probably gone."

"'Us'?" I asked. Jasper's eyes widened. We both started searching through the mess at the same time, both looking for another person. I tossed things out of my way, not caring where they landed. I pushed one of the metal tables to the side and found Adonis. "Got him." Jasper stopped what he was doing and came to my side. Adonis was alive, but unconscious. I noticed a couple drops of blood poking through his shirt. Meaning he reopened his stitches. And the only way he could've done that was if he put up a fight. Jasper helped me sit him up and then I felt the back of his head. There's blood down by the base of his skull. They either hit him really hard or more than once. I laid him back down as I felt Jasper poke my arm. He stood and walked over to the far wall. I followed him and found a note pinned to the wall with a knife. I pulled the knife out of the wall and then handed it to Jasper. I hesitantly unfolded the note and read it. 'Yachara, I hoped after everything you'd find some way to trust me… bla, bla, bla, … After you kidnapped my sons, and released all of my prisoners, you've left me with no choice. I will start taking your people at random until you, the boys, and Anya turn yourselves over. Going to your camp and taking you by force is too easy. I want you to willingly come with me. When you do, the people we took will be freed. You can either come to us or you can leave a letter, with your surrender, pinned to a tree at the waterfall so arrangements can be made to come and get you.' I thought. The letter was signed with the Jacobsen family cress; a 'J' formed out of vines. I could feel the heat rising off of my face.

"What is wrong with this man? Can't he just leave me alone?!" I crumpled up the letter and threw it on the ground. I walked away from the wall as I put my hands on my head. I took a few breaths and then turned back around to Jasper. "Sorry." I cleared my throat. "I… lost my cool, there for a second." I'm not sure what it means, but I've heard Jasper say it around camp. He grinned and then held up the knife. Engraved on the handle was my name. It's the knife I left behind at Jacobsen's house. I used it to pin the stack of Mount Weather patches to the counter. I put my hand on my mouth. This is bigger than we thought. That knife is his sick, twisted version of a warning. "Find Alex, have him watch Adonis, and then find Jade; make sure she doesn't do anything stupid." He nodded, handing me the knife as he left. I quickly made my way to the room serving as Anya's cell. I entered the room, surprising her. The swell of her stomach has gotten bigger, but besides that… she's still the evil women I grew up with. The thought that she's going to have one of my siblings, makes my stomach turn green.

"What's going on out there?" She asked. "Must be pretty bad if you're coming to me. I haven't seen you since they put me in here."

"You say that like I had nothing to do with it." Her stupid little smirk left her face. "That's better. Now, I was hoping you could tell me why Jacobsen would sneak into camp… and not take you." She looked surprised. "Now I'm sure your love for each other is strong, since you're carrying his child and all, but I guess I underestimated exactly how strong."

"There must be some kind of mistake." She was searching for an answer she liked. "Maybe he just couldn't find me."

"Right. Because I'm sure he just happened to miss the sign on the wall that said 'Anya's Cell', with a big arrow, as he pinned a note to the wall." I replied. If I make her squirm enough, she might tell me something about Jacobsen I don't know. In which case, the time I'm spending looking at her wouldn't be that big of a waste.

"What did it say? The note." Anya asked. Do I tell her the truth? If I don't, and I lie to her, then I'm one step closer to becoming her. And that is what I fear the most. I crossed my arms and shifted my weight to one leg.

"He thinks you left willingly." The look of shock on her face surprised me. It also surprised me that, right now, she looks like a normal human being, with feelings besides anger. "Do you want to tell me why that is?" She looked away from me and then sat down against the wall. I cleared my throat, as if reminding her I'm still here. She did nothing. "Fine. I'll be back tonight. If I don't have an answer by then, you're dead." I left without looking back at her. I walked back out into the main room. Finn, Clarke, Jade, Caleb, Jasper, Kane, Jones, and Alex had all gathered. They were looking over the letter when I entered.

"Is this true?" Finn asked, pointing at the letter. I glanced around the room. Adonis is awake now, sitting in a chair with a towel to his head. He had his shirt off so Clarke could check on his stitches. "I mean, is he bluffing?"

"Big time." I replied as I made eye contact. "Something else is going on here. Jacobsen's got a plan and it kills me that I don't know what it is."

"You're not turning yourself over?" Jasper asked.

"Yeah… I'll turn myself over into my grave." Kane had just finished reading the letter, and by the look on his face he's got a question. Perfect time for me to start talking. "Part of his letter is true, though. He will keep taking people until we turn ourselves over. But it won't be at random. They held Caleb down instead of killing or taking him. They knocked out Jasper instead of taking him. No, these people were not randomly picked. They chose them for a reason."

"I figured as much." Jade said. "Which is why Lincoln is going to the coast, for back up. This is a war that won't end until one side is dead." I'm pretty sure she's still in shock about them taking Bellamy. "We just need to know what their next move is."

"What's ours?" Alex asked. Based on Jade's performance last month, everyone here is waiting for her to go after them. Even with Jade's last comment, Caleb and Alex tensed up; ready to try and stop her at the drop of a pin. The room went quiet. "I take it this means Anya wasn't much help." Adonis said as Clarke was finishing up. "I'm working on it." Kane looked at me. "I'm using the fact that Jacobsen thinks she left willingly, against her. So far I think it's working. What I don't get, is why Jacobsen thinks I kidnapped Alex and Adonis."

"Yeah, I'd like to see you try." Adonis said.

"Exactly." I took the letter from Kane's hands. I skimmed over it, until I found what I was looking for. "Okay, here's his first mistake: he claims I kidnapped them and then he says for **US** to turn ourselves over. If I kidnapped them, then shouldn't I release them first?" I looked around the room, taking in everyone's expressions. But my gaze stopped on Jones. At some point I'm going to have to tell him I know his secret. Jones wasn't just Jacobsen's right hand man. He was also his brother. I found out last week, when we had one of the last hot days. Everyone decided to swim in the lake, and Kyle made to mistake of taking of his shirt. Printed on his left shoulder blade was the Jacobsen cress; my cress. Alex and I confronted him about it the next day. He said that Jones changed his last name so that everyone would treat him normally, and not like he was the boss's brother. I think part of it is true. But why didn't he tell me he was my uncle? It would've been nice to know I had a cousin. "I'm going to the waterfall to leave a note for Jacobsen. I'll tell him that, in two days, we'll surrender. But on the condition that they give us back our people first." No one spoke. Adonis pulled his shirt over his head and then sternly looked at me, "That's all you've got? Because where I'm sitting, that's the worst idea ever."

"Funny. I remember you saying something like that about my plan to break everyone out of Mount Weather." I replied. "It will work, just like the last one, and this is only part of the plan. The other half will be coming soon." I left the Ark and headed to Jade's tent, ignoring the mayhem all around me. I found some paper and then wrote my letter to Jacobsen. As fake as it was, if I were him, I'd believe it. As I left the tent, Jade found me and offered to take me on Dakota. It only took about an hour and a half, round trip. Would've taken me three hours had I not brought Jade. I helped dig graves for the five people we lost, as I waited for nightfall. Then I headed into the Ark and straight for Anya's cell. "Okay, time's up." I said as I closed the door behind me. "What's it going to be?"

"I didn't agree with his plan." She said. "He wanted to brainwash all of his men, and I didn't agree with him."

"That's funny, because I thought you would have been all for it."

"I wasn't always the ruthless leader of an army." Her voice cracked a bit. "Long ago, I was no different than you or your friends. All I wanted was your father, none of this was supposed to happen. He's the one that wanted to control the world. I helped him because I was too blind to see him using me." She looked like she might cry. I walked across the room and sat down next to her, on her bed. "I'm not in the mood for any more lies, Anya." My voice was neutral, with a hint of frustration. She stared at the wall. I glanced down at her stomach and then away again. I cleared my throat, "How far along are you?"

"Almost eight months." She replied.

"I hate that I'm saying this, but I need your help. I need to know everything about his plan, with the brainwashing."

"Once they've been brainwashed, the only way you can reverse it, is with a very rare form of MHP. It's a bright red liquid, Jacobsen calls MHP 2.0."

"It's red?"

"Yes. It's extracted from the same Glowflys, just a different part. They can only get one drop from every five Glowflys." She said. Wow. No wonder it's rare. I guess that means it's a good thing I have some.


	19. Chapter 38: The Begining of the End

Chapter 38:

Once again, Jade left in the middle of the night. I'd be lying if I said a part of me wasn't worried. But, after all, I should be used to it by now. She didn't return until about seven in the morning. And she wasn't alone. Just like she said, she brought reinforcements. Forty-five of them, to be exact. But part of me is not surprised that she knows that many guys. "I think they'll do." Caleb and I stood side by side, both shocked that she pulled it off and came back in one piece. But what he said expressed what we were both thinking. Jade walked up to us as she asked, "Why is it everyone looks really relieved to see us?"

"Because while you were gone," I pulled a note out of my pocket and began unfolding it. "Jacobsen sent five men, or shall I say teenagers, to attack us. Unfortunately, none of them survived." I glanced at Alex, a few yards away, as I said that last bit. He was the one that put a bullet in the last guy. But I understand why; he was a brainwashed lunatic, holding a gun to my head. And don't even get me started on how I got stuck in that sticky situation. "But, he was so kind as to leave us this note that says: 'Nice try. I could smell your lie a mile away. This ends today. I really do wish things could've been different. But now I know my mistake was trusting the Crystal family, in the first place. This last war will determine who really owns these woods'. Signed by the one and only."

"All of this is because he wants to control the land?" Jade asked.

"No." A female voice said from behind me. But didn't need to turn around to know who it was. Anya walked up to us from behind and stood next to me. "Not just the land, but everyone living on it as well." Jade looked between me and Anya, almost asking me with her eyes why. It was more than clear that she didn't understand. But a lot happened while she was gone. Like how Anya's on our side now. It literally hurts to think about Anya being 'good', but right now I don't really care. And like the fact that we have a trader in our midst. That part I'm keeping to myself. I don't want to believe it just yet, but the thought crossed my mind that it might be Jade.

"Before you start throwing punches, let me explain." Caleb led Jade away, telling her what happened while she was gone. As soon as they left I started getting everyone ready for war. I almost completely unloaded my tree house, passing all the guns out to everyone. I gave a quick lesson on how to use the guns, while twenty people stood guard on the fence. Within four hours of the first attack, the first Mountain Man was spotted. It was an army, no doubt. Over a hundred Mountain Men, led by the rest of the, now brainwashed, teenagers they kidnapped. Bellamy was at the front of the pack. I turned around and looked at my army. All of the women and children, or anyone else that couldn't or wouldn't fight, was locked away in the Ark. We roughly had a hundred people. And a third of them didn't have guns, but some other weapon instead.

"Jacobsen was right about one thing," I shouted. "This is the last war between us and the Mountain Men. I know they are using our friends against us, but if you see one of them you need to avoid them. If it's between you and them… choose you." I glanced at my sides, at the men waiting for my order. I looked at Caleb next to me, holding a sling shot along with the other twenty men on the fence. "Aim." Each guy held up his sling shot and aimed it at the approaching army, a second after I heard the pins fall. "Fire." I said it matter of factly, but with authority and a devilish grin on my face. Jacobsen can't out run this. Each grenade exploded on impact, killing about fifteen guys each. "Keep firing until there within a hundred yards of the fence." I jumped down and then ran to the side of the Ark. "How's it coming?"

"I'm almost done." Jasper replied as he empted another trank dart of its liquid. I had pulled him out of the battle to help me with something else. As soon as we discovered a gun in the tree house that wouldn't kill someone, Clarke came up with the idea of replacing the liquid inside with the MHP 2.0. Somehow over the years, I obtained half a gallon of the stuff. Jade was given a trank gun loaded with five darts, before she headed out. Anya and I will be taking the other two. I tried convincing her to stay out of it, but to no avail. "There, done."

"Thanks, Jasper." He gave me the last trank gun and then headed back to join everyone else. I turned around and saw Anya a few feet away. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah." She replied. Our job was to debrainwash the twenty people they kidnapped. So as long as we shoot straight, it shouldn't be a problem. The gate was now open. Meaning it's only a matter of seconds. Adonis came running up to us. "I think we took out half."

"Good. Any sign of Jacobsen?"

"Not yet." He turned on his heels and then ran back as the gun fire began. "Let's split up-" I turned to discover I was talking to know one. I rolled my eyes and then joined the battle. I dodged a few bullets as I made my way to the closest tree. I climbed onto the lowest limb and then began looking for my targets. The first one I shot hit the ground. I waited until he stood again. He appears to have no idea what's going on. So, I think it worked. I took out two more before I spotted him. Jacobsen. He's making his way to the other side of camp, with Anya in his clutches. Am I really considering risking my life to save hers? I jumped out of the tree. It appears the answer is yes. Going around the battle won't really work out so well. My only bet is to go straight through the mess of bodies… and bullets. Yeah. Best. Idea. Ever. I pulled out my bow and loaded an arrow as I walked. As soon as I saw the first Mount Weather soldier, his chances of survival were gone. My arrow went through his chest and into the next. I walked with my bow ready, the string pulled back as far as I could. I fired again, and again. Then something hard slammed into my jaw, causing me to release the string, imbedding it into the ground.

Still holding my bow, I put my right arm up to block the next blow, I knew what was coming. Something hit my arm as I brought my knee up it into the soldier's chest, followed by my bow slamming into the side of his head. He hit the ground as I felt someone grab the back of my collar. I stepped slightly to the right as I brought my bow on the left, going through the guy's stomach. I pulled it out and then heard his body hit the ground behind me. I stood for a minute catching my breath, when suddenly something forced me to the ground. I lost my bow as the person rolled me over. Another soldier. He put his hands around my neck and began squeezing. I reached up behind me with my left arm, feeling the ground. My vision began to blur as my hand clamped around the arrow in the dirt. I pulled it out and drove it into the man's neck, pushing it through the other side. His grip instantly let go and then he feel. I sat up, gasping for air as I reached for my bow. With it in my hand, I stumbled to my feet and then continued moving.

Bodies were starting to pile up. But so far I couldn't tell who was winning. But in the midst of the battle, standing in the thick of it, I thought I heard a familiar voice. At that moment the battle, the gun fire, the shouting… it all faded away, as if I wasn't standing in the center of a war. The whole world seemed to stop. All that remained was my breathing. Then I heard it again. This time louder; as if I was standing right next to her. A girl was pleading for her life, but I didn't recognize it. Or I thought I didn't. A part of me knew that voice, as sad and afraid as it might be. I spun around, looking everywhere. Then I found her. In the trees on the side of camp and the main battlefield, Jade lied on her back on the ground with Bellamy on top of her. He had her pinned. I'm sure she could escape, but she's not thinking clearly.

Everything hit me at once, and the battle resumed. I rushed forward, shooting anyone in my way. By the time I made it over there, he had his hands around her neck. She was still pleading with him, but it was more of a whisper. Tears ran down her face as she stared into his eyes. I pulled the trank gun out of my belt and pointed it at him. I shot him in the arm, but I didn't put my gun down. I kept it pointed at him, just in case. His whole body froze. Jade looked to her left, at me, and then back to him with a flicker of hope in her eyes. She whispered his name a few times. Then his body seemed to unfreeze.

"Jade…" I could hear his groggy voice form where I stood, ten feet away. He took his hands off of her neck and placed them on either side of her head. She smiled at him, as my attention was averted elsewhere. Alex had approached from the other side and stopped about ten feet away. He had his gun aimed at Bellamy's back. "Alex, it's okay. He's fine." He didn't look at me. My red flag flew so high, I lost sight of it. I dropped the trank and then loaded my bow, aiming it at Alex. "Put it down." I ordered in the most threatening voice I could muster. He simply glanced at me for a second. But I saw it; the same devilish grin I had earlier. He just confirmed what I hadn't even gotten done thinking. "You're the mole; the spy on the inside. Why'd you do it?"

"Here dad didn't think I could pull it off." He said. "But here I am." He didn't even sound like the same person.

"When?" I asked. "When did you betray us?" He looked at me, but kept his gaze. I knew the answer before he even spoke it.

"From day one. You think it was an accident I was the one stuck at the house with you?" The muscles in his arm tightened. He wanted this to happen. Jacobsen knew all our moves from the start. "Don't worry though… my dumb-butt brother is completely loyal to you… and your stupid cause." I saw the wild look in his eyes.

"Don't do it!" But as the words left my mouth, the bullet left his chamber. I momentarily froze; my arms numb. But as he fired his third shot, I released the string on my bow. My arrow entered his chest just as a whole was blown through his forehead, the bullet chipping the tree next to me. Alex fell to his knees and then collapsed. What just happened? My arrow didn't kill Alex… Adonis's bullet did. He stood a few yards behind Alex, gun still raised. His face was a mixture of sadness and relief, knowing he wasn't the only one trying to kill his brother. We put our weapons done at the same time and then turned or attention to the ground. Bellamy was lying on his back, Jade cupping his face. I should've shot sooner. But I hesitated. He was my brother, my friend… he wasn't just a nameless face. He was someone I trusted. And because I hesitated, it cost my sister someone she loved. I closed my eyes as I turned and walked away. I can't watch any longer. I could feel my emotions slipping into the front of my mind, taking over. Right now is when I'd break down crying, forgetting everyone else existed. But I can't. As long as there's a battle to be won, emotions are going to have to wait.

I distracted myself by trying to think of Anya and Jacobsen instead. After what happened with Alex, the possibility of Anya working with Jacobsen is much greater now. Him taking her somewhere could've been a trick, meant to lure one of us away. And if so, it's working. Because I'm going after him. I started walking along the fence line, headed toward the lake. I was about twenty feet away from the lake, when I found a hole cut into the fence. It's about three feet tall and the same wide. I approached it cautiously, looking all around me. I looked through the hole and found nothing but trees. But it was more than obvious that someone came through here and into the trees. My next idea is really stupid. But I'm doing it anyway. I crawled through the hole and then followed the path. A couple of times I almost lost the trail. About thirty yards later, I freeze. Is that what I think it is? It sounds like a baby is crying.

I see a clearing about ten yards away and continue forward, tightening my grip on my bow. With only three arrows left, if I do find him, I better make each shot count. Then I see him. Jacobsen. He's walking across the clearing, holding something wrapped in a blanket. A few yards behind him, I see Anya on the ground with blood all around her. Did he do what I think he did? Is he really that sick and twisted? I stepped out of the bushes with my bow drawn. Half expecting him to run, I said, "That's far enough." He froze and then turned around. Just like I thought, he was holding a baby. Anya's baby. "Put it down and walk away." My voice was shaky.

"Took you long enough to find me." He began walking towards me.

"Stop." When he didn't I shot an arrow into the ground a foot in front of him. "Consider that your warning shot. Now, put. It. Down." He reached behind him, instead. I let my arrow fly, right into his thigh. He half bent over and then straightened as he gritted his teeth. He pulled out the arrow and through it on the ground. I shot my last arrow, aiming for his right shoulder. I hit my target. And this time he went down, falling backwards onto the ground. I tossed my bow to the side and then pulled out my trank gun as I approached. I had my gun aimed at him, pretending it's a real one. The fall knocked him out. I picked up the screaming baby and cradled it in my arms. I don't know how to get it to stop, so I just rock it back and forth. I started walking away, back towards camp. After I got a few feet away, I heard Jacobsen getting up. I turned around and looked at him. Then I shot him with the dart full of MHP 2.0. Right now it's the only weapon I have.

It won't kill him, according to Anya; who clearly wasn't working with Jacobsen. When you give it to someone who hasn't been brainwashed… it wipes their memories. Now Jacobsen is a clean slate. But that won't stop me from hunting him down latter. I disappeared into the trees, without looking back to see if it worked. Once back inside the fence, I stood there for a moment. I sat with my back against the fence and then looked down at the baby, who it turns out is a girl. I can't help but think of how Anya took me from my mom, killing her. And now, this baby is also left without either of it's real parents. I heard a rumor once that history repeats itself. Is this what they meant by it? Is every member of my bloodline going to lose both it's parents, one way or another? All I can do is hope that one day the chain will be broken, and a family will be kept whole. I didn't realize it, but the gun fire had stopped. I stood and then made my way out of the trees, following the fence back to the battle ground. The smell of gun powder and death filled the air.

"Yachara!" Caleb ran up to me. "I've been looking everywhere for you. What happened?" He looked at the baby and then me. I thought of everything that had happened and was overwhelmed by guilt and grief. I wrapped my left arm around his neck and then buried my head in his shoulder. I got as close to him as I could without squishing the baby, and then I let go. I let the tears fall. I felt his arms around me, trying to comfort me. But I'm afraid there's no comfort from what I've been through.


End file.
